The Ars Amatoria acts as a guide to love, it answers all the core burning questions of the hopeful lover. Questions such as who to love, how to love, and where to love. So, what musician also takes the time to instruct lovers in the art of love?
Kanye West’s song “The New Workout Plan” acts a similar type of guide for women on how to make themselves attractive to men. This focus on women aligns nicely with book 3 of the Ars – wherein Ovid directly advises women on the art of love. Before diving deeper into the thematic parallels between the song and the book, it should be noted that both of these works are written from the perspective of a man telling women what they need to do to become more desirable, meaning that we end up with highly biased views on erotic/romantic love and the role women play in these loves. Such a similar perspective shows the lasting power of men thinking they should tell women how act to be attractive.
Both artists place upmost importance on how women’s bodies should look. Ovid makes this clear when he says, “Cultivation comes first, the proper care of the body… take pains to improve the endowments that nature has given;” (Ovid, Ars Amatoria, lns. 101-104). West, similarly, believes that women should take care of their bodies, “get them sit ups right/Tuck your tummy tight and do your crunches like this”. West also believes certain pains must be taken to improve one’s physique which is evident when he says, “All you mocha lattes, gotta do Pilates” and “Eat your salad, no dessert, get that man you deserve”. Women must shape themselves into something desirable to men, even at the cost of their own enjoyment, because their natural state is simply not adequate in either of the artists’ times. In a somewhat amusing vein, both men also talk about how women’s breath smells. Ovid’s advice is to “Eat a lozenge or two if you think your breath is offensive… speak from some distance away.” (Ovid, Ars Amatoria, lns. 277-278) while West says, “Ooh girl your breath is harsh!/Cover your mouth up like you got SARS”. This more shows that both cultures take hygiene seriously, but I still found it curious how two artist thousands of years apart mentioned bad breath in their advice to women.
Ovid’s extensive manual to feminine attractive behavior is genuine; his work indicates what he truly believes women should do to take control of their sexuality and romantic lives. West’s more abrasive take (as I have left a great deal more saucy bits out) may be considered satirical – he seems to aptly skewer the immense pressures women are under and all the hoops they have to jump through for love, especially if they want to social climb and end up with men that belong to highly desirable groups such as NBA players (or just dudes with cars). If it is satirical, it is exceptionally well done. If it is genuine, Kanye might have more in common with Ovid than I thought.
Book 3 Lns 101-104 – “Cultivation comes first, the proper care of the body… So, take pains to improve the endowments nature has given;”
Book 3 Lns 277-278 – “Eat a lozenge or two, if you think your breath is offensive, If you have something to say, speak from some distance away.”