Bodies from the Darkside: Paradoxes of Female Anatomy in the Rena issance

The body in anthropo logy represents more than a phys ical endpoint of human evolution. It is both
the template for cultural imprint, and a symbol that communicates cultural information. ln the context of
the Renaissance as an ethnographic e ntity, th e status of women is examined through two kinds of images:
anatomic and fine art.
Although the Renaissance is generally heralded as a boundary between medieval superstition and
humanism, with its improvement in the quality of life, few scholars have examined if that change applied
to women. Using Kelly-Gadol's thesis that women did not have a renaissance in the Renaissance, this
thesis wiII show their restricted status through the lens of anthropology of the body. Witch persecutions,
sumptuary laws and curious metal appurtenances to restrict the body support this view.
Kuhn's paradigm theory and Turner's work on IIminality are relevant with regard to unequal
male-female status. When normal science is presented with new information that is anomalous, a period of
denial ensues. Thus, the domain of authority was challenged by observation and created conflict along
with discovery. The most drastic of these raged between female sexuality versus reproduction.