--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the past few centuries, we have…" description: "\"For the past few centuries, we have defined beauty as tall, slender figures, femininity and white skin.\" — Cameron Russell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/cameron-russell-11098_beauty_for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defin_544940.jpg" --- # For the past few centuries, we have defined beauty as… ![“For the past few centuries, we have defined beauty as tall, slender figures, femininity and white skin.” quote by Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/cameron-russell-11098_beauty_for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defin_544940.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/cameron-russell-11098_beauty_for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defin_544940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/cameron-russell-11098_beauty_for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defin_544940.jpg) > “For the past few centuries, we have defined beauty as tall, slender figures, femininity and white skin.” [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical beauty standards have been narrow, emphasizing specific body types and skin tones. **In simple terms:** Beauty standards are limited and biased. Key Takeaway Challenge narrow beauty norms. Themes beauty body image diversity culture Mood inspirational thoughtful Type speech social commentary When to use this quote - fashion industry - advertising - social media - personal confidence Key Concepts sociology media studies identity Questions to Reflect On - How can you promote inclusive beauty? - What biases affect your perception? A Different Perspective Changing standards takes time and effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Femininity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/femininity/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skin/) ## Related quotes > [I love that people are going, Yeah, I love a hundred different kinds of beauty; it's not all the tall, skinny supermodel. Around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reese-witherspoon/i-love-that-people-are-going-yeah-i-love-a-hundred-different-kinds-of/) [Reese Witherspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reese-witherspoon/) > [“For Valéry, the nature of beauty is that it cannot be defined; beauty is precisely “the ineffable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/for-val-ry-the-nature-of-beauty-is-that-it-cannot-be-defined-beauty/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“Years passed with nothing to show in a land once so enchanted that bees and butterflies slept safe in the blossoms after their nectar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-herrick/years-passed-with-nothing-to-show-in-a-land-once-so-enchanted-that/) [Ellen Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-herrick/) > [I'm not here to be on display. And my body is not for public consumption. I will not be reduced to an object, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/i-m-not-here-to-be-on-display-and-my-body-is-not-for-public/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [ “\[A Letter to the Culture that Raised Me\] I'm not here to be on display. And my body is not for public consumption. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/a-letter-to-the-culture-that-raised-me-i-m-not-here-to-be-on-display/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [How dare the world define beauty. God defined beauty when he made you! You are beautiful, you are a true beauty just the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hamilton/how-dare-the-world-define-beauty-god-defined-beauty-when-he-made-you/) [Rachel Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hamilton/) > [Of all trees, I observe God hath chosen the vine, a low plant that creeps upon the helpful wall; of all beasts, the soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/of-all-trees-i-observe-god-hath-chosen-the-vine-a-low-plant-that/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Incredible what slender threads you begin to hang your hopes on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/incredible-what-slender-threads-you-begin-to-hang-your-hopes-on/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [The beauteous dragonfly's dancing By the waves of the rivulet glancing; She dances here and she dances there, The glimmering, glittering flutterer fair. Full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-beauteous-dragonfly-s-dancing-by-the-waves-of-the-rivulet/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Two roses on one slender spray In sweet communion grew, Together hailed the morning ray And drank the evening dew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-montgomery/two-roses-on-one-slender-spray-in-sweet-communion-grew-together/) [James Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-montgomery/) > [Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity since the dawn of civilization so they have never been able to pretend that their masks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/women-have-been-charged-with-deviousness-and-duplicity-since-the-dawn/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [His mane was like a crest, mounting, then falling low. His neck was long and slender, and arched to the small, savagely beautiful head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-farley/his-mane-was-like-a-crest-mounting-then-falling-low-his-neck-was-long/) [Walter Farley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-farley/) > [The whole force of the respectable circles to which I belonged, that respectable circle which knew as I did notthe value of security won,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-tarbell/the-whole-force-of-the-respectable-circles-to-which-i-belonged-that/) [Ida Tarbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-tarbell/) > [Annabelle gave him a chiding smile. “If you’re implying that I’m spoiled, I assure you that I am not.” “You should be.” His warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/annabelle-gave-him-a-chiding-smile-if-you-re-implying-that-i-m/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) ## More by Cameron Russell > [If someone has the opportunity to become a model, I would say, 'Do it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/if-someone-has-the-opportunity-to-become-a-model-i-would-say-do-it/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [Hard work is not why I have been successful as a model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/hard-work-is-not-why-i-have-been-successful-as-a-model/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [If I ever had needed to put together a CV, it would be quite short. Like many young people, I'd highlight my desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/if-i-ever-had-needed-to-put-together-a-cv-it-would-be-quite-short/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [You can be anything. You could be the President of the United States or the inventor of the next Internet or a ninja cardio-thoracic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/you-can-be-anything-you-could-be-the-president-of-the-united-states/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [The barrier to entry, to being a model, is not hard work. You don't need a degree. You don't need to win an award.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/the-barrier-to-entry-to-being-a-model-is-not-hard-work-you-don-t-need/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [My style is definitely not ladylike - frills and bows kinda scare me - but I like the military look because I love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/my-style-is-definitely-not-ladylike-frills-and-bows-kinda-scare-me/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [Usually, TED only invites the most accomplished and famous people in the world to give talks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/usually-ted-only-invites-the-most-accomplished-and-famous-people-in/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [ \[Models\] have the thinnest thighs, the shiniest hair and the coolest clothes, and they're the most physically insecure women probably on the planet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/models-have-the-thinnest-thighs-the-shiniest-hair-and-the-coolest/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [Like many young people, I believe I have potential to make a positive impact in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/like-many-young-people-i-believe-i-have-potential-to-make-a-positive/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [I work hard, but my modeling career gives my views undeserved attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/i-work-hard-but-my-modeling-career-gives-my-views-undeserved-attention/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [Models are the most physically insecure women on the planet,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/models-are-the-most-physically-insecure-women-on-the-planet/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [I don't think fashion is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/i-don-t-think-fashion-is-evil/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [I do have too many eight-inch heels which I never get to wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/i-do-have-too-many-eight-inch-heels-which-i-never-get-to-wear/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [It's going to sound ridiculous, but knowing how to pose, how to maintain a level of engagement and variation for a day of shooting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/it-s-going-to-sound-ridiculous-but-knowing-how-to-pose-how-to/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [When I first lived in a model apartment... It was two bunk beds to a room, and the bathroom was constantly in use. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/when-i-first-lived-in-a-model-apartment-it-was-two-bunk-beds-to-a/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) [Explore all 61 Cameron Russell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For the past few centuries, we have defined beauty as tall, slender figures, femininity and white skin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cameron Russell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defined-beauty-as-tall-slender/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defined-beauty-as-tall-slender/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/cameron-russell-11098_beauty_for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defin_544940.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/cameron-russell-11098_beauty_for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defin_544940.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/cameron-russell-11098_beauty_for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defin_544940.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For the past few centuries, we have defined beauty as tall, slender figures, femininity and white skin.” — Cameron Russell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cameron Russell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For the past few centuries, we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defined-beauty-as-tall-slender/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/for-the-past-few-centuries-we-have-defined-beauty-as-tall-slender/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```