Discussion Board 2

Botticellis painting Birth of Venus is perhaps one of the most iconic images of the goddess, who represents love and fertility. This image of white, blonde, and thin became part of the western ideal of beauty but, thankfully, this is changing. We find images of a new Venus that embraces different cultures, races, sizes, and sexes. Find a 21st-century image that celebrates this. Of course, it doesn’t necessarily need to be labeled as a Venus – example below:

Serena Williams – she looks like a boss in this image. It’s for Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, 2015 – so getting rid of the “Sportsmen” title and more inclusive of all athletes. As of 2015, she was only the third solo woman to have this title. She was 34 when she posed for this and at that point, she was playing longer than many of her contemporaries – if they only knew that, at age 40 and after having a child, she would still be competing and winning which makes it entirely appropriate that she’s sitting on a throne. One of my coworkers said to me years ago, “but she’s not that pretty.” After choking back a string of expletives, I said to him, “I think her accomplishments on the tennis court is more inspiring than being attractive, though yes she is.” This is what the new Venus looks like –

A quick note, our class is a safe space and I don’t and won’t tolerate anyone who have negative things to say about people who may not fit the mold of what has been deemed “classically beautiful.” People don’t need to agree with each other but disagreements need to be respectful and constructive.