Venus and Mona exposed: The Art of Wealth and Beauty

'..no woman can be a beauty without fortune…' - Statement or advice? George Farquhar, (Irish poet, 17th Century) vents his spleen after some tryst, probably.

Be honest - most of us indulge in the plethora of routines and regimes provided by the health and beauty industry. But why, throughout history and across cultures, do we - with some knowledge of the risks involved - continue to bleach, wax, bake, pluck, poison, tint and lacerate ourselves in the pursuit of public 'face-keeping'? And why are we now open about these invasive health and beauty routines, which previous generations would have killed to keep secret?

A bewildering array of products and potions permit us to change our body shapes, internally (diets/supplements) and externally. From the humble eye-brow pencil to the 'drastic plastic' we enlarge and reduce our bodies at will. Not an inch of our corpus remains untouched by the 'well-being' sector. We are implored to join the superior lifestyle club by perpetually re-shaping ourselves. Yet, indigenous, rural peoples (not yet a target for the marketing department) are no strangers to body-shaping practices - lip and neck-stretching, henna body-painting to name but two. What motivation - in the absence of mass celebrity culture and advertising - is there for such communities to participate in body tampering? Western anthropology suggests that the human practice of such manipulations provides consensus - a social contract- where collective individuals agree to a set of rules and behaviours. Yoga and many of the self-enhancing activities have their roots in an individual vs. group participatory theme. Buddha would have wanted the individual to stay healthy for its own sake, employers would rather we stay healthy to remain productive.

The past lingers into the present. Previous generations, had their 'natural' beauty icons, too - Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, created either for politics or to sell films. As we rummage around in Shakespeare's world, some of the most powerful - and influential sonnets - which defines our idea of (especially) female beauty may, in fact, have been written for his male love interests. Further, anti-beauty fashions - punk, gothic and the current, 'street-walker' trend continues to challenge today's beauty consensus, and so the cycle continues. Even if we disapprove of emerging techniques (porcelain teeth available on every high street) it forms a bond. If the double-dip recession hits, natural beauty could return.

If, however, you do not consider yourself to be an area of outstanding natural beauty, nor a site of special scientific interest, think again. Recent science reports that a popular de-wrinkling treatment might be a future cure for weak bladders. The classic stance of the iconic Venus, does indeed, look like a woman in need of a toilet. As with her sister-in-art, Mona Lisa, could the secret of their smiles be explained by 'chemical assistance'?

It's too easy to be cynical of health and beauty products, so it’s enlightening to know at least one application might have a useful purpose .. …… I wonder how they cope with incontinence in Papua New Guinea…….?