The Roots..... you ought to be beautiful, thin, desireable, voluptuous, dumre, idealized, sensual?

The human body has been a subject of beauty and brilliance since the dawn of time. Who is to say what is beautiful? The Greeks presented their mythical characters in sculpture, later the Renaissance painted the female nude. The body was not painted for sexual desire, but instead was depicted as a goddess unaware of being an object of the male gaze.

However in contrast to the idealized remoteness, there was Titian's Venus of Urbino fully aware of the viewer's presence. Was this the start to body image, of wanting to be noticed or desirable?

Author Mark Twain once called Venice of Urbino, the world’s “obscenest picture.” He obviously did not live to see images like this ...... OK, so it is not fine art, but it is commercial design. Also advertisements are seen by more people then art, the message has a larger audience.

Resource: Urbino Article