Mayara Rubik Marchi | Renam Christofoletti | Marie Claire Brazil January 2011 | Goddess Rising Anne of Carversville

The photography of Renam Christofoletti was front in center in my mind today, as thoughts about strong reader interest in the death of anorexic model Isabelle Caro peppered my brainwaves.

Christofoletti lensed a summer image montage called ‘Just Being A Woman’ that serves as the inspiration for my thoughts — not only about Isabelle Caro, but also the main schools of thought about the female body.

The dividing lines are clearer in my mind.

Previously, my focus was the moralists and the sensualists. A perfect example of this collision of values was the arrival of Spanish in South America and stamping out the beautiful sensuality of Mayan civilization.

Today body image, self-control and Isabelle Caro’s assertion that she sought control of her body by limiting food intake is filtered through the lens of the men in fashion, who say that a woman cannot be too thin. Karl Lagerfeld leads this view of women and prefers that they be as thin as ballet dancers.

I was intrigued by Natalie Portman’s description of her demanding training for her role in ‘Black Swan’ as being in a nunnery. All pleasure was denied. A third concept is now firmly implanted in my brain, all sending messages to women about our bodies: they are the sensualists, the moralists and the monastics.

‘Just Being A Woman’ | Isabelle Caro Sought Control of Her Body Anne of Carversville