Comparing Feminine Ideal In Hesiod's Works And Days

In an age where younger generations of girls are taught that they are beautiful by just being themselves, there are subtle hints all around us that may express the opposite. Yes, beauty can come in all shapes and sizes but there can always be more to fix about ourselves; to become, or appear, more perfect. This concept of women having to conform to what is considered the feminine ideal is nothing new. The idea that women are valued based on the perception of others, specifically men, as portrayed in Ovid’s Pygmalion and Hesiod’s Works and Days, has been the central idea, or issue, in many contemporary works of art precisely because this idea still seems relevant in modern society. What is considered the feminine ideal? What can be said about a woman’s personality, physical beauty, the way she presents herself, the way she is treated, etc, that makes her uniquely
It is no doubt that one has to be physically beautiful or attractive, whatever that may mean, because different cultures have different standards of beauty. Time also plays a factor. Depending on what period in history you’re examining will you know how the perfect woman is viewed. Women have been viewed and criticized by society since ancient times, with their worth and value often largely depending on how others viewed them. The Pygmalion myth in Ovid’s Metamorphoses can be considered a perfect example of this idea. Pygmalion lived during the time the act of prostitution first began. They were described as their blood being hard and not being able to blush anymore; “it was no transition really, from what they were to actual rock and stone” (Metamorphoses 241). He was disgusted by how they were acting and living their lives; they didn’t comply with what he considered to be the ideal woman. He decided to make what he considered the perfect woman, “made of ivory statue, as white as snow” (Metamorphoses 242). Pygmalion played a creator role, taking ivory, bones from something that was once