When Shu was watching a popular costume drama recently, he found that the right-angle shoulders of the actors in the drama caused many netizens to question.
The right angle shoulder itself is a existence that can make the popularity field soar, but the magic is that once this body trait of strengthening the aura and temperament is put into the costume environment, it will inexplicably appear cramped and even reduce the aura.
In the classical environment, the lines at the shoulders are more and more demure and more correct.
After a rush of pursuit, right angle shoulders have become the best label for modern people's good figure and good manners, and social networking sites are full of right angle shoulder training and teaching, one than the other.
Artists and stars will always urge themselves to hold their shoulders and work hard in the direction of good temperament and good manners.
But why is it that such a recognized "good manners" feature cannot be applied to all era scenes, nor does it apply to everyone?
01
Classical demure curved aesthetic
In body aesthetics, the shoulder and neck line as the "starting line", can lay a person's temperament and tone, soft and smooth is gentle, straight and sharp is strong, and the former is the "trend shoulder type" in the eyes of ancient people.
"Roselle Endowment" says: The shoulders are cut.
Ancient photo books have clouds: generals have no necks, and beauties have no shoulders. This is a kind of manual retouching small tips for Chinese costume painting.
When painting a man, the painter will deliberately cover the neck of the "model", because the neck is covered by armor to reflect the heroism of the man.
Ancestors also believed that the beauty of beauty lies in the posture of the body, and the slender neck and rounded shoulders are the curvy beauty that belongs to women alone.
Rather than saying that the ancients used slippery shoulders for beauty and advocating beautiful shoulders, it is better to say that they liked the curve of the neck that was elongated by the sagging of the two shoulders.
Chinese has had an unspeakable love for soft curves since ancient times.
From the surviving portraits, we can see that even a brave samurai would not grow angular.
The painters would like to use curved strips to focus on shaping their wide robe pockets, cumbersome armor, emphasizing temperament and prestige, and paying attention to "charm", not form.
To shape the classical beauty of Chinese, the softer it is, the more suitable it is.
Ancient clothing styles also did not like to highlight the shoulder shape, and in ancient times, the clothes were flat cut, and the shoulders and necks could highlight the curved lines.
Blogger: Hollywood
Even the cheongsam design, which was popular in the 1930s, has a high neckline and short perm that is close to the neck, which aims to highlight the smoothness and slenderness of the shoulder and neck contour.
02
The cognition behind the curved aesthetic
However, this aesthetic does have places that need to be attacked.
The first is the view of women.
Why did the ancients like the twists and turns of the shoulders and necks?
Because women should be weak and docile to be beautiful, the family qianjin should be slightly hunched over with a chest and more fragile and easy to bend, not working for a long time, and the aesthetic trend of shoulders and necks can also reflect the social status of women at that time.
Second, it also exposes the class concept of ancient times.
Some people say that our love of the shoulder from the ancient to the love of the right angle shoulder is influenced by the Western aesthetic, yes and not all.
In the cognition of the ancients around the world, the strong and neat shoulder shape is a characteristic of the poor people who often pick things and work.
When aristocratic beauties in Europe in the 19th century looked for portraits of painters, they would emphasize that painters should paint their long necks and dropped shoulders. The popular side portrait also better shows the curved curvature of the shoulder and neck connection.
Even aristocratic men were no exception.
03
After a shift in thinking
From a curved to a straight aesthetic
For the aesthetics of the lines of the shoulders and necks, when did we start to "change from curved to straight"?
Here's a person to mention, the female designer Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s.
At that time, society still loved women's elegant, tactful silhouettes, but she was avant-garde and bold, and as soon as she appeared, she caught Coco Chanel, who conformed to the mainstream aesthetic, off guard.
In August 1931, Elsa Schiaparelli first introduced shoulder pads into women's wear, and the stiff shoulder pads broke the curve of the neck and shoulders, which was obviously unacceptable to many people, and British Fashion magazine commented that the dress was "stiff soldier silhouette." ”
But this kind of innovative thinking has impacted some people in the industry.
The following year, Hollywood costume designers created ruffle designs through Elsa Schiaparelli and wore them on Joan Crawford.
This kind of clothing that makes the shoulders curve and straighten strengthens the aura, and it can also slim the waist, and gradually become a trend.
At that time, the lines of the shoulders changed, but also represented the rise of women's status and thinking.
After the outbreak of World War II, the complicated long skirt lost its function, the soft curved shoulders and neck could not be eaten as a meal, women stood up half of the sky, and began to emerge in society, and women's clothing moved closer to the neat and tough direction for practicality and frugality.
Until then, whether it was clothing or body, hard, straight shoulders were exclusive to men.
But they believe that they are not weaker than men, so the shoulder pad design in women's clothing is getting wider and wider, and the wide and straight shoulder line is like a kind of "bottom" and "belief", which is a spiritual symbol that calls on women's self-confidence and equality between men and women.
This symbol has been transmitted to China, and it has also given Chinese women the determination to break the status and impressions that have been inherent for thousands of years.
The stars of the Republic of China began to take the lead in wearing exaggerated shoulder-paded coats, shoulder-cushioned dresses, and even improved cheongsams with 90° shoulders and soft waists.
Female celebrities no longer subconsciously bow their heads, slightly arch their waists, hold their heads high to be praised, and the straight lines on their shoulders help them support their cervical vertebrae and straighten their backs.
Manually concave right angle shoulder originator
04
Runaway straight lines and chaotic classical
From the ancient times, the curve aesthetic of catering to the shoulder and neck can bring belonging, and the straight-line aesthetic can gain faith, so we can't help but think, what does this large right-angle shoulder aesthetic resurgence bring now?
In 1947, French designer Christian Dior released his spring-summer collection. Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, left an exclamation after the launch: "It's such a new look!".
He narrowed his broad shoulders, re-emphasized his waist and skirt, and once again regained the curves of women, blending straight lines into them.
Although because of the extravagance and tightness of clothing, feminists were questioned at the time, for most of the people who had just finished the war life, it was a real new look, everything was revived, and the weather was renewed.
"We are free to choose straight and straight."
But the strange thing is that after thousands of years of evolution, overthrow and reconstruction, the aesthetic of the shoulder and neck line, which has gradually become objective and calm, has suddenly ushered in an extreme "straight line fever" in modern society.
Ideal body shape be like
There is no belonging and identity, but it is only to chase the popularity.
People can't even satisfy the straight lines that shape their bodies only through clothing, and they are constantly anxious about their shoulders that are not 90° straight enough.
The soft beauty that belongs to the classical is also particularly chaotic under the feverish right-angle shoulder chase.
Elizabeth Taylor estimated that she could not imagine that her famous shoulders would be disliked after more than 70 years of trapezius muscles that were too thick, and some netizens would be p into right angles.
With the blessing of modern fashion, the straight lines of right-angle shoulders can indeed bring a healthy and positive physique, and can play a more ingenious cut of clothing and clothing, so that our bodies look more temperamental.
But the so-called "health and temperament brought by right-angled shoulders" is actually a false proposition.
From a health point of view, the human shoulders will not be 100% 90 °, some people are born at right angles, and some people are equally healthy with their shoulders slightly drooped.
The right angle from shrugging shoulders is not right
The shoulder angle of adult women is generally 10 ° -30 °, if you are already in the standard category, then you really do not have to "practice it".
Blind sinking or shrugging of the shoulders can lead to subscapular syring syndrome, which leads to shoulder and back pain and difficulty breathing.
From the perspective of temperament and beauty, the strong right angle is not suitable for all scenes and the atmosphere of beauty, and the right angle shoulders are worn in the costume drama, just like wearing a sweatshirt and a cotton hat.
Compared with the soft curve aesthetic and the self-protection of the straight line aesthetic, modern people should have a more comprehensive vision and a more peaceful perspective, can appreciate the confidence and uprightness of the broad shoulders, and can also appreciate the classical beauty of the clouds and flowing water.
Our aesthetics should not be extreme and blind.
Because we will never fit the fashion perfectly, and the fashion will not always exist.