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Painted Ladies Of Rome: The Role Of Beauty In Defining Female Excellence, Casandra Ball, Michael Pope

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ancient Rome was a culture obsessed with excellence, and much scholarly ink has been spent identifying and elucidating the intricate matrix of ideal Roman masculinity. Meanwhile, relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to the concept of feminine excellence, or the means by which Roman women attained social or personal value. The purpose of this project was to examine the position of Roman women within greater Roman society, and to identify the standards used to typify ideal Roman womanhood. I posited that adherence to rigid beauty standards was a significant means by which Roman women could contribute symbolic and tangible …