Saed News: In the following, you can see 5 fascinating images of young Qajar girls in bridal gowns that are hard to believe date back 200 years.
According to the historical service of Saed News, you might be surprised when looking at these images and wonder why these women are not as overweight as often described about Qajar women.
In ancient times (before the Renaissance), being overweight in Western countries was seen as a sign of wealth and status. It was assumed that overweight individuals had the means to eat well and gain weight because of their financial prosperity. This notion was so significant among the Western aristocracy that nobles and the wealthy would deliberately vomit (for example, by sticking a finger down their throat) after eating, in order to empty their stomachs and continue eating again!
In contrast, the poor were often thin and frail, which was considered a result of lacking the means to afford proper food. However, in Qajar Iran, obesity in women was considered a form of beauty. Iranians judged a woman's beauty more by her body size than her facial features, and plump women were more favored and desirable in the Qajar royal court.
Carla Serena, a French writer and journalist who met Anis al-Doleh in 1294 AH (circa 1877 CE), wrote in her memoirs:
“She is very fat and large-bodied and eats a lot... She even criticizes me for being skinny and bony... She says Iranian men love fat women and the fatter a woman is, the more dear and favored she is by her husband.”
Among these overweight women, not only a large belly but also having a double chin was considered one of a woman's most attractive features. It’s even said that Anis al-Doleh (regarded as the most beautiful woman of the Qajar era by the standards of the time) had a very large, multi-layered double chin — described as “seven folds.”
Still, while many women in the Qajar harems were likely overweight, this did not apply to all Iranian women.
During the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, fashion and clothing received much attention. With the introduction of photography to Iran, many beautiful and vivid photographs from that era have been preserved.
The woman in the final image is Lady Mahtaban, titled Mo'azzaz Azam, daughter of Kamran Mirza Nayeb al-Saltaneh, the second wife of Malijak, and the aunt of Ahmad Shah Qajar. 👇
