Beauty standards change, as do reflections of beauty and the ideal body in art. Indeed, sometimes portraits start to look alike in some eras, like in Sir Peter Lely’s entourage of heavy-lidded beauties.
In the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance, the fashion was for rounder bellies and hairless forms.
(I’m not going to lie, I just wanted to use this beautiful image of a man-pony – illuminated manuscripts are the best.)
Often, to be portrayed as hairy equated to a wild or “sinful” personality. Hairiness of the body equated to an animal-like nature, like the lustful satyrs, the wild hair of the maenads, or the devil itself. But also, as some have noted, there might have been a historic need to remove body hair, as it could be a breeding ground for lice and vermin. Today, there is a supposed downfall in pubic lice because of public grooming.
But really, haven’t we always modified our bodies to fit some top-down standard?
However, two figures stand out as the exact opposite of hairless: Mary of Egypt and Mary Magdalene. Both women were ‘licentious’ in their youth, and both gave it up when they came to Christ. And interestingly enough, both are depicted as practically wearing a pelt of hair, where the hair suits are seen as a sign of penance or protection.
Mary of Egypt
Mary of Egypt was a 4th-century sex worker who repented of this way of life and became a hermit. After her clothes fell away in the desert, a thick pelt of hair grew and covered her body to protect her modesty. She often holds the three loaves of bread she took into the desert. According to tradition, those three loaves sustained the hermit for 47 years.
I love this depiction of her in the only surviving piece of an altarpiece from Bohemia, circa the 1430s. Today it’s housed in the National Gallery Prague at the Convent of St Agnes of Bohemia (Klášter sv. Anežky České).
In later depictions, she’s shown mainly as an old woman wearing a shawl. Such as in this rather haunting portrait.
Mary Magdalene’s Pelt
I had never heard of Mary of Egypt before writing this, only about Mary Magdalene. From the Renaissance to the present day, portrayals of Mary Magdalene have become increasingly popular. You don’t see many renditions of Mary of Egypt in the modern period.
Here’s where it gets confusing – Mary of Egypt’s story became intertwined with that of Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is commonly portrayed as a repentant sex worker, though the gospels never claimed this was the case. (Maybe the church didn’t approve of the whole she was an independent woman, and Jesus appeared to her first after his Resurrection?)
In Medieval tradition, this binding of the two Marys became the force behind what’s called a penitent Mary Magdalene. She’s portrayed as an attractive woman praying for forgiveness for her sins. Often, she has a wool-like coating of hair. Other times, her lengthy hair envelops her whole body.
But again, why? I have so many questions.
Hair is political, and it can be an expression of identity, sexuality, clan, etc. So maybe there isn’t a solid reason behind this.
If the hair is to protect her modesty, then why are Mary’s breasts popping out of the otherwise perfectly secure pelt? I wish we were there as a society.
Maybe it’s to mimic an animal’s udders, which seems pagan and again brings women closer to nature. Thereby pointing to them as wild and untrustworthy. But she’s supposed to be repentant of her wicked ways. At least, that’s the reasoning behind St. Mary of Egypt’s pelt, where Mary Magdalene’s stems from.
Mary Magdalene’s Hair
Other times, Mary’s pelt disappears, and her “covering” is only from the hair on her head. It’s wrapped around her, barely covering her modesty. Everyone is worried about modesty, apparently, but not enough to portray it logically
It’s like she managed to cover everything but her breasts. That hair must be heavy; forget looking up to the heavens, that’s probably why she’s always looking up.
(Read more about that hand gesture.)
To recap:
- Mary of Egypt has a furry pelt, and artists also portray Mary Magdalene this way
- But Mary Magdalene’s pelt often exposes her breasts
- Later, the pelt disappears altogether, transformed into a mass of beautiful blonde hair
Much like the hair on her body, her tale twists and turns. Unfortunately, whatever shape she’s in, there’ll be more questions and changes to come. That’s the nature of hair; humans always change what is acceptable.
Read more:
Saint Mary Of Egypt: Three Medieval Lives in Verse (Cistercian Studies)
Post on Peter Lely’s Portraits
