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Depictions of the female form in Renaissance art suggest that the feminine ‘ideal’ for this period was voluptuous and very fair-skinned young women.
For many women, these ideals were out of reach; a significant number of people worked outdoors, causing their skin to tan and age prematurely.
In addition to this, calorie-rich food could also be scarce for some poorer members of society, making it difficult (in conjunction with physical labour) to put on sufficient weight to be considered an attractive and healthy shape. Indeed, the only women who had the time and funds to pursue this ideal were often wealthy.