What bathing rituals reveal about standing, purity and energy
Written by Jacqui Palumbo, CNN
In many parts of the world, cleansing one’s body has become an individual, daily ritual — a quick, steamy shower in the morning or a longer bath to unwind at night. But historically, our bathing habits have been imbued with deeper meanings.
In Ancient Greece, bathhouses were a place for men to wash after sport or swap philosophical discussions (some even contained libraries), while in the Middle Ages, men and women in Europe gave up bathing altogether, for fear it would spread disease. Perfumes and cleansing ointments replaced steam and water, with elaborately adorned bottles and containers linking affluence to health. Fast-forward to the 1960s and ’70s, where bathhouses in New York City became safe havens for gay men to relax, socialize and seek pleasure.
Rembrandt’s intimate and sensual take on the Old Testament subject “Bathsheba at Her Bath,” painted in 1654. Credit: Musée du Louvre
Through objects and artworks, the book “Body. Gaze. Power: A…
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