Cardassian Beauty Standards and Aesthetics
apologies in advance for any problems with its language, English is not my home language but I think this is okay :)))
Something that I’ve noticed when watching ds9 is the vastly different looks of Cardassians and the different and inconsistent standards of beauty for them. This got me thinking about cardassian beauty standards because surely they like us must have different kinds of attractiveness. I want to explore the ideas of cardassian beauty standards and preferred aesthetics through the characters we know and love and use them as examples of what I believe aspects of cardassian beauty are and how they are viewed. Of course here’s my ususal disclaimer, this is not canon but simply an exercise in starting to explore my interpretation of what we are presented with.
Something that I believe was once very important and is still prominent today in cardassian beauty standards are the ideas of class, where certain traits are associated with people from different classes, making them more or less appealing, much like in human societies. However I also want to explore how this may have changed since the militarisation of cardassia and since the cardassians old spiritual beliefs were largely lost.
I think historically and up until modern times, someone like Dukat would be the aristocratic idea of beauty and thus the ideal that was for a significant period strived towards by cardassians of all classes in an effort to seem more noble and of better lineage. When one looks at Dukat, he is tall and lithe, and exudes an almost serpentine energy through his elongated limbs and neck. This seems like a frame that would be suited to nobility as it does not seem to lend itself to heavy labour. I believe that historically Dukat would have been the model of beauty due to his long and slender limbs, and sharp features. However, he also lacked a certain bulk that was present in cardassians like Damar, Mila and Garak. His body also has a inverted triangle and his shoulders and by extension ridges were large and prominent. This would indicate a beauty standard of wide and prominent shoulders being considered attractive being carried forward as can be seen in the aesthetically driven choices of military armour. Military armour in cardassians, while somewhat functional also expose a large portion of their shoulders while following a tapered and inverted triangular silhouette, perhaps to mimic the standard of beauty present in individuals like Dukat and to allow the body of the wearer to seem closer to this shape. I believe that while the standards on cardassia are changing to favor more bulky and solid shapes suited to a soldier, many cardassians still hold in equal regard this standard of beauty as it represents a good lineage and with this comes power.
Additionally, this standard is more prevalent also in men than in women with women being considered attractive (for marriage) when they have a frame more suited to childbearing, with wider hips and a more solid frame. This lends itself to the family oriented ideals followed by most cardassians. However the lither frame is still prized among cardassian women as it is considered a sign of grace and elegance as well as one of higher intellect as historically higher class women would have been more educated than their lower class counterparts. Cardassian beauty standards for women vary more than that of their male counterparts with urban women being considered attractive with a slimmer frame and those who are from more rural areas being considered attractive with a solid frame with examples of these two standards being Natima Lang and Ulani Belor.
Contrasting to this historical beauty standard, one can safely assume that Damar is the perfect example of changing beauty standards on cardassia, as he follows the newer standard of solidity and bulk that became synonymous with the soldiers of the cardassian military (and the lower classes that often served as active officers rather than beurocracts..?) It would not be unreasonable to assume that with the militarisation of cardassia and the glorification of duty and servitude to state, a frame associated with those who were historically in duty to the state rather than rulers of it would gain popularity and been seen as desirable. Additionally, Damar who stands as an exemplar of this standard is the only male cardassian described as attractive at any point during DS9. Damar’s frame; unlike Dukat’s; is much more solid, his neck is thicker and shorter, his entire frame contains a bulkier appearance and seems more heavyset. Damar also seems to have less prominent and yet still bulkier ridges on his face and neck. Damar’s build seems the sort that would lend itself to hard labour as he seems more solid and grounded in his build than someone like Dukat. This newer beauty standard prioritises the idea of a soldier and a servant of the state as attractive. However I do think that this idea is still rejected by the families of higher class and status and they continue to prize a “Dukat frame” while looking down on those with a “soldiers build” as imposters in the upper echelons of cardassian society and seeing them as less refined, thus treating them to some extent as outsiders within the higher military and governmental ranks.
Both ideals interestingly share height as an attractive characteristic among men and this suggests that someone like Garak who falls much shorter than both Damar and Dukat. Garak, seems to me to be an example of unconventional beauty. Garak’s frame falls into neither ideal, rather verging on the border of both while simultaneously being shorter than ideal. Facially Garak also takes on a softer and more feminine shape which falls into mind that of ulani belor, rather than the sharp and angular features possessed by individuals like Dukat and the broader and thicker features possessed by those like Damar, Rusot, Mila, and many of the Cardassians seen in the military. Garak as a model of unconventional attractiveness also fits with his characterization as someone who has never quite fit into the expected as is illustrated in ‘A Sitch in Time’.
In terms of cosmetics, it would not be far-fetched to assume the blue seen on the “spoons” of most female Cardassians was a form of cosmetic enhancement, the purpose of which remains unknown to us but which due to not being seen on all Cardassian women and no Cardassian men can be presumed to not be naturally occurring. It is interesting to note that this form of cosmetics is placed the same on all who wear it, suggesting perhaps a deeper cultural or historical reasoning behind the marking of the ‘spoon’ and ridge. However, it may play a role in mating and could detonate societal standing, marital status, age, occupation, or even simply exist as a form of enticement.
