Identidad corpórea: el canon femenino en Cuenca, reflexiones mediante una exposición de Artes Visuales

Abstract

The present research- creation work is a historical exploration aimed at reflecting on the impact of the female canon throughout history and its influence on female identity, particulary within the context of the fashion industry in Cuenca ́s society. Through a plastic art exhibition, ir seeks to provide a critical and reflective perspective on how these aesthetic canons hace shaped the perception of the female body.The study covers the period from prehistory, around 40,000 B.C., to the 21st century, examining the female canon from medical, psychiatric, and aesthetic perspectives. It questions how ideologies about the body have evolved and how they have become entrenched social norms that are difficult to break away from. The central question guiding this analysis is: what makes a body considered beautiful or ugly? Addressing these notions is complex and requires a broad understanding of their cultural and social implications. In a historically patriarchal society, the female body has been subject to constant aesthetic transformations, often dictated by economic interests and the consumerist gaze of fashion. Initially, fashion used the female body as a visual resource to attract the public, creating a marked distinction between what was considered beautiful or ugly. Beauty, pleasing to the eye, is socially accepted and normalized. This debate has fragmented female identity, generating constant pressure to achieve perfection. In this context, the influence of Western fashion has played a crucial role, imposing aesthetic standards and homogenizing the perception of the female body. These impositions reflect an impact on women's identity, especially in societies like Cuenca's, where external influences and beauty ideals create tensions between the local and the global