From examining artworks of the Greek and Romans

From examining artworks of the Greek and Romans, I was able to understand their gender roles and how they differ from my present day society. In Greek and Roman art only males were allowed to be nude while the females were full dressed. There was one exception; Aphrodite (goddess of love) was the only female that would be nude. All the males were usually nude and had the ideal body for any man in any culture or time period. They were built like body builders and athletes of today. In Greco-Roman society, men look like modern athletes of today, while woman were extremely modest in comparison to present day female models. Males are now dressed while woman’s whole bodies have changed and their image has gone from modest to sex driven.
These roles have not changed that much for men but for females they have changed dramatically. Aphrodite was considered the most attractive woman of the Greco-Roman era where if she were in present society she would never be allowed to pose nude for an art piece. The ideal woman then was a little over weight, which was considered healthy so they could give birth more often. Now with entertainers like Madonna and Britney Spears almost every picture of them is sexual. The majority of woman also looks up them I hope to be them one day. Their body type is thinner and does not look anything like any woman from the Greco-Roman era. The most popular male magazines are Playboy and others that show beautiful of woman, of today’s standards, nude or wearing almost nothing at all. None of these women looks anything even comparable to females of the Greco-Roman periods. Athena (goddess of wisdom) is always fully dressed with a helmet on top of her head. She is considered they greatest woman of the Greco-Roman era. She was looked upon as beautiful and extremely intelligent. A perfect comparison to Athena for modern day society is Princess Diana of England. She is beautiful and