During the eighteenth century the phrase ‘fair sex’ was a pervasive feature of contemporary writing intended for female consumption and texts that discussed issues concerning women. Even today, scholars still employ this expression to characterise experiences of femininity during this period. This article extrapolates the embodied meanings of ‘fair sex’ from a range of popular non-fictional printed discourses, including medical advice books, conduct literature, advice guides and cosmetic manuals. Specifically, it examines how, why and in what ways ‘fairness’ was conceptualised as a mutually reinforcing moral, physiological, aesthetic and social ideal for elite British women during the eighteenth century.

中文翻译：

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“公平的性”：肤色，性别和十八世纪英国非小说中的身份认同叙事

在18世纪，“公平的性别”一词是当代写作的普遍特征，旨在供女性消费，以及讨论有关女性问题的文本。即使在今天，学者们仍然使用这种表达来表征这一时期的女性化经历。本文从一系列流行的非虚构印刷话语中推断出“公平性”的具体含义，包括医学建议书，行为文学，建议指南和美容手册。具体而言，它研究了如何，为什么以及以何种方式将“公平”概念化为18世纪英国精英女性相互促进的道德，生理，审美和社会理想。