As I said, I like art and going to museums. And I like Rubens. Which leads to my question: what’s wrong with the women he painted? Why are they no longer the ideal of beauty? I am not going to get into a sociological and aesthetic debate. I am familiar with all the common place answers like “Fat was appreciated because it was a sign of wealth”, or “Beauty ideals and standards change”, or “Your mind is what matters”. All I want to know is why some hundreds of years ago it was acceptable, desirable even to be plump and soft and now it’s a crime against fashion. I have a husband who would never mention my surplus weight (no if he knows what’s good for him), I have a career and some wonderful friends, yet I too have submitted to more or less painful diets in an attempt to look “good”. I even went regularly to the gym for about one year, but then I realized it was too much of an effort. But what’s wrong with looking like a Rubens painting? As my husband put it once, we would be “fluffy and comfortable”, like pillows. And we could spend the entire day eating hot bread rolls, pancakes with raspberry jam, chocolate cake, gorgonzola pasta, French fries and hamburgers. Oh, Rubens, where are you?
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