Beauty is defined differently in different cultures and beauty standards are not common around the world. Here I’m presenting you with some of the strangest ideals of beauty you can find on this weird, yet marvelous planet.
1. MAURITANIA: OBESITY
Women having extra pounds is the beauty norm in Mauritania. There are even some “farms” where parents send their girls to gain weight. The side effect is that many girls end up with stomach disease because of overeating.
2. ETHIOPIA: STRETCHED LIPS
The Mursi tribe in Ethiopia use special discs to enlarge their girls’ lower lips. The larger the disc, the higher the girl’s status and the amount of dowry that has to be paid before the wedding.
3. TAJIKISTAN: MONOBROWS
A monobrow is considered sign of beauty in some regions of the country. Women who don’t have one may use make-up to draw it on their face. The people there believe that eyebrows that join together are a promise for a fortunate life.
4. CHINA & THAILAND: PALE SKIN
Snowhite skin is the desired beauty standard in Asia. They sell also face creams with bleaching ingredients, even after-shaves for men. Lots of Chinese people use a mask at the beach and refuse to sunbathe. They consider westerners crazy for getting a tan every summer.
5. SOUTH KOREA: HEART-SHAPED FACE
A heart-shaped face is considered a trait of beautiful people. Therefore, Korean people undergo painful and complex plastic surgery to get it and it is not the only surgery they have. Plastic surgery is very common in South Korea being widely advertised, especially in big cities.
6. IRAN: FACE SURGICAL DRESSINGS
Iranian people hold the record for rhinoplasty. The operation is pricey, but it’s the cost the people are willing to pay in order to gain a straight nose. Some don’t get a nose-job, but they walk around wearing surgical dressings on their nose to make others believe they did.
7. AFRICA: LONG FOREHEAD
The Fula tribe in Africa consider the most significant sign of female beauty a high forehead. That’s the reason why some women even pull their hair out to make their face look bigger. This practice was also followed in medieval Europe, where women used to remove their hair to create a longer forehead.
8. BURMA – LONG NECK
The Kayan people, in Eastern Burma, have their women wear brass rings around their necks as they believe that the longer neck a person has, the more beautiful they are. That’s why this region has been called “the country of giraffe women”.
9. JAPAN: CROOKED TEETH
The perfect smile in Japan is not an even line of teeth, on the contrary, “yaeba” or crooked-teeth form the ideal smile. That’s the reason why dentists are in high demand.
10. NEW GUINEA & WESTERN AFRICA: SCARIFICATION
In those countries tribes have been decorating their bodies in artistic scars. The men usually get them during an initiation rite, whereas the women are considered more beautiful when they have them. Those types of body modification are also used in the western world of people who find them attractive.
