Ancient Bodies and the Politics of Size

Critics and Sculptors

Ancient Greek and Roman writers often criticized bodies that deviated from the norm, whether too large, too small, or too weak. These social, political, and moral discourses about power and character influenced the portrayal of bodies in Roman portraiture.

Sculptured Bodies

Roman portrait sculptures often depicted individuals with large breasts, stomachs, thighs, and backsides, reflecting the Roman ideal of beauty and health. These sculptures stood in contrast to the idealized, athletic bodies depicted in Greek sculpture.

Prehistoric Figurines

Some of the earliest art in the world features mysterious figurines of overweight women from prehistoric times. These figurines suggest that the representation of non-normative bodies has a long history in art and may have served a variety of symbolic or ritualistic purposes.

Body and Rhetoric

An investigation of the term "genesis" within art historical rhetoric reveals how notions of body size and shape have been used to define and construct social norms throughout history.