Скажи, что есть прекрасного в тебе? Телесность и корпулентность в границах теоретической эстетики.

Знание-сила. 2020. № 2. С. 37–47.

Lifintseva T. P.

The problem of an aesthetic ideal in the aspect of corporeality and corpulence is investigated in the history of art, fashion history, fiction, and now - the uncounted number of beauty-blogs, etc. The author tries to consider it in an applied aspect - female "plumpness" and "subtility" which were represented either as fine, or as ugly - in different eras and cultures. At the same time the author strived for objection the concept of the "economic reductionism" claiming (in general) that for the economically "safe" eras and the upper classes the refinement ideal is customary, whereas the feature of "unsuccessful" eras and lower classes the ideal of healthy "plumpness" is aimed for physical survival and preservation of descendents. The author by means of the text and illustrations addresses history of the world culture  - since great antiquity (the neolitic culture) and up to nowadays and speaks about the autonomy of ideals of beauty. In the article it is shown that need not to mix a historical argument (physical condition of bodies) and aesthetic one (which was the representation of bodies when a certain semantic significance was attributed to them). The author agrees with E. Cassirer's opinion that culture is entirely identical to symbols; by means of symbols the realization of transformation of spirit in the planes of cultural being is possible. And one of the important components of this symbolization of the world is the gender symbolization in art.     

Keywords: телесность, идеал, символизм, натуралистический редукционизм, корпусная семантика, семантический субъект