Ludwig II of Bavaria and the Photographer in the Service of the King of Beauty and Romance

Oct 24, 2025 | King Ludwig II of Bavaria remains one of the most fascinating figures of the 19th century – a monarch caught between dream and technology, between art and duty. His life was shaped by an unending longing for beauty, purity, and inner truth – and by the deep desire to give the world a higher meaning through art.

Um mehr über König Ludwig II. von Bayern (1845 – 1886) und seine Homosexualität und seine Schwäche für Schönheit zu lernen, klicken Sie hier. [Quelle: Google KI]

Why India's Fair Skin Business Is Booming

Jan 20, 2020 | India is home to Bollywood, the world's most prolific movie industry. For those who dream of stardom, landing a leading role may depend on the color of your skin.

India's preference for fair skin has given rise to a skin-lightening industry worth nearly $500 million dollars.

VICE's Gianna Toboni heads to Mumbai to find out how this cultural bias is fueling the booming business of fairer skin.

Breathtaking Beauty!

Atemberaubende Schönheit! / Beauté à couper le souffle !
Many thanks to Travel to the old world on Pinterest for this stunning photo of Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco (formerly Grace Kelly) who died so tragically in car accident in September 1982 at the young age of 52 years.

Was kann man sagen? Mir fehlen die Worte.

What can one say? Words fail me. / Qu'est-ce qu'on peut dire ? Les mots me manquent.
Für dieses wunderbare Foto bedanke ich mich bei einem Ungenannten auf Pinterest.

Perfection dans la beauté virile | Reupload

Perfection in manly beauty / Perfektion in männlicher Schönheit / الكمال في الجمال الرجولي

Mes remerciements vont à Anonymous sur Pinterest pour cette sublime photo.

Do Men’s Faces Come More Beautiful Than This? Mesmerizingly Handsome! | Reupload

Kommen Männergesichter schöner als das? Faszinierend schön! / Les visages des hommes sont-ils plus beaux que ça ? D'une beauté fascinante !
Very many thanks to ? on Pinterest for this photograph of an extraordinarily handsome man.

Außerordentliche Eleganz einer außergewöhnlichen hübschen Dame

Extraordinary elegance of an exceptionally pretty lady / Élégance extraordinaire d'une jolie dame exceptionnellement
Für dieses wunderschöne Bild eines Gemäldes von einer eleganten Dame bedanke ich mich bei Inma de Celis auf Pinterest.

هذا رجل جميل جدا

شكرا جزيلا على هذه الصورة Pinterest

Cartier Beautés du Monde: The Exhibition

Jun 30, 2022 From 13th June 2022 in Madrid, Cartier revealed the Beautés du Monde High Jewelry collection - in a setting that lives up to its shining light: the brutalist Embassy design by two architects, English WS Bryant and Madrid native Luis Blanco-Soler. Cartier entrusted the scenography of the event to the Madrid artist and design Jaime Hayon. In this succession built around a well of light, color is omnipresent, the design pure, which rounded arches that break up the space. A singular experience that invites exploration, and the discovery of the Beautés du Monde collection.

Meet the New Arab Face of Lancôme
AHLAN!: We've got the skinny on model Hanaa Ben Abdesslem, the brand's latest spokesperson in the region

She’s been making waves across catwalks in the fashion capitals of the world, and now model Hanaa Ben Abdesslem is part of a beauty legacy that channels her regional connection. Maison Lancôme has just announced that the Tunisian model is their new Arab brand spokesperson.

Hanaa, who made her modelling debut with Vivienne Westwood in 2010, has since walked for other top names including Jean Paul Gaultier, Giambattista Valli, Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta. Her fash[ion] credentials have only gotten stronger after appearing in French, Italian and German Vogue as well as the covers of Intermission and V. » | Nazia Khan | Tuesday, January 17, 2012

VOGUE.fr: Hanaa Ben Abdesslem pour Lancôme : A tout juste 22 ans, la top d’origine tunisienne Hanaa Ben Abdesslem est la nouvelle égérie Lancôme. Castée par Vogue Paris en mars 2011 pour un sujet beauté, depuis la belle a été de plus en plus remarquée sur les podiums ; De Givenchy à Jean Paul Gaultier en passant par le show Haute Couture Giambattista Valli. En exclusivité, voici le film de son premier shooting pour Lancôme. » | Par Christelle Paillard | sans date


MAIL ONLINE: ‘I Plan to Change Misconceptions’: Tunisian Model Is First Ever Muslim Face of Lancôme » | Maysa Rawi | Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Beautiful People To Get Virtual Sperm Bank
SKY NEWS: Dating site for beautiful people sets up sperm bank for mothers-to-be who want to make sure they have attractive children



Beautiful People: Where beautiful relationships begin >>>

Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty is usually equated with the Greek goddess, Aphrodite. Image: Google Images
Britons Are Ugly, Dating Website Concludes
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Fewer than one in eight British men and just three in 20 women who have applied to BeautifulPeople.com have been accepted, according to the website

Britons are among the ugliest people in the world, according to a dating website that says it only allows “beautiful people” to join.

Fewer than one in eight British men and just three in 20 women who have applied to BeautifulPeople.com have been accepted, according to the website.

Existing members of the “elite dating site” rate how attractive potential members are over a 48 hour period, after applicants upload a recent photo and personal profile.

Swedish men have proved the most successful, with 65 per cent being accepted, while Norwegian women are considered the most beautiful with 76 per cent accepted, the website said.

Canadian women were accepted 24 per cent of the time, and men 23 per cent. And Americans? Thirty-seven per cent of women got in, and 24 per cent of men.

The way that BeautifulPeople.com accepts new members is simple. A potential member applies with a photo and a brief profile. Over 48 hours, existing members of the opposite sex vote whether or not to admit them, the site said.

Options are: “Yes definitely,” “Hmm yes, OK,” “Hmm no, not really” and “No definitely not.”

The site was founded in 2002 in Denmark and went live across the globe last month. Since then, the site has rejected nearly 1.8 million people from 190 countries, admitting just 360,000 new members. >>> Reuters | Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Taking the Pill for the Last 40 years ‘Has Put Women Off Masculine Men’
MAIL ONLINE: t ushered in the 1960s sexual revolution and gave women control over their own fertility.

But according to a new study, the Pill may also have changed women's taste in men.

Scientists say the hormones in the oral contraceptive suppress a female's interest in masculine men - and make boyish men more attractive.

Although the change occurs for just a few days each month, it could be enough to influence the fashions of the day.

If the theory is right, it could partly explain the shifting in tastes from macho 1950s and 1960s stars such as Kirk Douglas and Sean Connery to the more wimpy stars of today, such as Johnny Depp and Russell Brand.

Dr Alexandra Alvergne, of the University of Sheffield, says the Pill could also be altering the way women pick mates - and could have long term implications for society.

'There are many obvious benefits of the Pill for women, but there is also the possibility that the Pill has psychological side effects that we are only just discovering,' she said.

'We need further studies to find out what these are.' >>> David Derbyshire | Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Saudi Beauty Pageant Aims to Find a Very Different Model of Cover Girl
Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: Beauty may well be in the eye of the beholder but in a country where a woman’s eyes are the only feature on public display, judging a beauty pageant could prove awkward.

For that reason the future Miss Saudi Arabia will not win on the merits of her figure in a bikini or her perfect skin, but will instead secure the coveted crown by dint of her devotion to her parents and Islamic values.

As of tomorrow 200 veiled hopefuls will start a ten-week process to find the winner of “Miss Beautiful Morals”, including a workshop entitled “Mum, paradise is at your feet”, a reference to the Prophet Muhammad’s dictum that respect for one’s parents is a foundation of the faith. “The idea of the pageant is to measure the contestants’ commitment to Islamic morals . . . It’s an alternative to the calls for decadence in the other beauty contests that only take into account a woman’s body and looks,” Khadra al-Mubarak, the event’s founder, said.

Unlike other competitions abroad, there will be no men involved at any stage in Saudi Arabia’s only contest for young women and it will not be televised, allowing the competitors to take off the veils and black abayas that cover Saudi women from head to toe. “The winner won’t necessarily be pretty,” Ms al-Mubarak said. “We care about the beauty of the soul and the morals.” >>> James Hider, Middle East Correspondent | Friday, May 8, 2009

’The Most Beautiful Women in the World’

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback (US) Barnes & Noble >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Hardcover (US) Barnes & Noble >>>