Remedios Varo, 1956
The Monkey and the Dolphin
Gustave Doré
Arthur Rackham - The Wooing of Becfola, an illustration for Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens. 1920
usually I’m all “let’s talk about beauty standards and the unrealistic expectation they set for women” but hear me out about Gibson Girls

in the late 19th/early 20th century, this one dude, Charles Gibson, drew tons of illustrations of these ladies

they’re considered a “beauty ideal” because they all pretty much have one body type–huge, piled up hair, adding to their already statuesque height, long necks, corseted waists blooming into broad skirts BUT

a lot of that had to do with ushering in a new cultural ideal, the “New Woman,” who was encouraged to be more athletic and embrace her physicality more than previous decades

also if you’re not already swooning, the Gibson Girl is frequently seen honing her skills. here she is playing the violin:

ALSO these works were laced with satire and social commentary. Check out “The Weaker Sex”:

she is depicted as intelligent, aloof, absorbed in her aspirations to reach beyond what society has so far granted her, and not content to marry off quickly

(^^every time I look at this picture I say “me” about a different figure)
she’s also super in touch with her sexuality

these drawings maintain somewhat of a tongue-in-cheek, self-aware quality, as if aware that the “ideal” being sold is attainable and even somewhat odd

look here’s an acknowledgement of her vanity, but life can be shitty but at least she looks hot af while livin it

anyway there’s so much more to this than “some illustrator dude drew his ideal woman over and over and then it became a beauty ideal like the ones we’re familiar with today” Gibson did a remarkable job capturing a sentiment among women in a period of great change and chose to highlight their strength and their agency
and i’m so glad this exists:

the world needs to know about Gibson Girls
French architect Georges Geffroy, who collaborated with Mr. Ricci on the plan of the chalet, designed the graceful staircase. Plants adorn the Entrance Hall, providing uninhibited contrast to the terra-cotta and marble tile floor.
The Worlds of Architectural Digest - Country Homes, 1982
MOTHER OF GOD
ARE YOU FUCKIN
OH GOD ITS BACK
DEAR GOD THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TUMBLR POSTS IN EXISTENCE.
YOU THINK JUST THE NOISE IS FUNNY AND FITS WITH THE GIF REALLY WELL
BUT THEN
THEN
THE LYRICS START
seriously i have almost crashed my car into a telephone pole, becuase I suddenly thought of this post and started laughing uncontrollably
YoU MADE ME FALL DOWN THE FUCKING STAIRS MOTH ER FUCKE R
flhEHUIWFHwlfhlfh