And what is wrong with Venus?

Did you know that the name “Willendorf Venus” is now controversial?

The nickname, urging a comparison to the classical image of “Venus,” is now controversial. According to Christopher Witcombe, “the ironic identification of these figurines as ‘Venus’ pleasantly satisfied certain assumptions at the time about the primitive, about women, and about taste.”

Heaven forbid that anyone should make assumptions about the primitive!

Next they’ll be denouncing Frankie Avalon.


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One response to “And what is wrong with Venus?”

  1. SteveBrooklineMA Avatar
    SteveBrooklineMA

    Well, some 35000 year-old Europeans might be offended!

    These Venuses are an amazing mystery aren’t they? They span 10s of thousands of years, thousands of miles, yet bear striking similarities.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_figurines