Pretty woman, walking down the street…
pretty woman…
I hate to break it to you but beautiful doesn’t always mean glass skin, luxurious locks or
a size zero figure.
For some cultures, beauty marks might be in the form of a tattoo, an elongated neck…
or even crooked teeth!
Let’s gaze at these 10 Unusual Beauty Standards from Around the World!
What’s up, fact-natics!
This is Discovery Amuse, serving up your daily dose of the most outrageous, outlandish, and
out-of-this-world fun facts!
Stay tuned because you might just raise your eyebrows at our number one pick!
Time to break the beauty mold!
#10: Africa When Alessia Cara sang Scars to Your Beautiful,
I bet she didn’t literally mean inflicting scars on your face and body.
But that’s exactly the age-old mark of real beauty in certain African tribes.
“Scarification” is the art of placing superficial incisions on the face or body
to create meaningful images or designs.
Sharp objects like stones, glass or knives are used to draw permanent patterns on the
skin that depict a person’s social status, clan identity or spiritual significance.
It is believed that scarification was developed because it is more visible on dark-skinned
people than tattoos.
Women get these scars to show a willingness to bear children, to welcome womanhood and
to mark a milestone in her life.
For men, these scars are a sign of courage and strength, and are meant to intimidate
rival tribes . Keep watching because you won’t be able
to take your eyes off of our number one entry!
#9: New Zealand I see your true colors, shining through…
For the Māori women of New Zealand, they outwardly express their true colors through
a tradition called moko kauae, which involves inking their chins.
Traditionally, these tattoos are done using a chisel called uhi.
The designs and patterns vary in all women as they represent a woman’s true identity,
so no two tattoos are alike.
It is a common belief among the tribe that each Māori woman has a moko in their hearts,
and the tattoo artist manifests this through the tattoo.
The moko also marks someone’s passage from girlhood to womanhood.
One of the more popular faces of this ancient tradition is Nanaia Mahuta, who became the
first parliament member who dons the moko kauae, and the first indigenous woman appointed
as New Zealand’s foreign affairs minister.
#8 Myanmar In Northern Thailand, a displaced tribe from
Myanmar believes that the longer the neck of a woman, the more beautiful she is.
Women of the Kayan tribe put rings around their girls’ necks and shins as early as
five years old.
The brass coils, which can weigh up to 20 kilos, don’t elongate the neck per se, but
rather deforms the collarbone, which in turn makes the neck appear longer.
While the origins of this tradition are unclear, some historians believe it used to be an attempt
to make women appear less attractive, to prevent them from being enslaved by rival tribes.
Meanwhile, others believe that the long necks are meant to resemble that of a dragon’s,
which is part of the Kayan’s religious beliefs.
#7: Mauritania In this Northwest African country, there’s
no room for skinny legends, because the thicker the woman, the more attractive she becomes!
Girls as young as five as forced to gain weight so their parents can marry them off easier.
They are even sent off to desert camps where they are forced to consume 16,000 calories
a day!
In these camps, exercise or any physical activities are strictly prohibited, and the girls have
to eat multiple times a day.
In ancient times, having a plus-size wife was seen as a symbol of a man’s fortune.
Yes, much like a trophy wife.
However, this practice pose serious health problems such as heart failure, diabetes and
reproductive issues, and modern Mauritanian women are taking control over their own bodies
in the hopes of breaking the unhealthy stereotype.
#6 South Korea Goodbye, natural beauty.
Annyeong to the new you!
This seems to have become the mantra of modern-day South Koreans who want to achieve a slim figure,
small face, flawless skin, large eyes, and a v-shaped jaw.
This has essentially made South Korea the plastic surgery capital of the world, which
registers almost 1 million procedures per year!
The most popular procedure is a double eyelid surgery, which creates a crease on the eyelid
that makes their eye pop out more.
Meanwhile, some people undergo facial bone contouring to make their faces more heart-shaped
and achieve proper proportion.
Yes, it involves actually cutting one’s jawbones!
These days, it is not uncommon for high schoolers to receive cosmetic surgery as a graduation
gift from their parents.
And while the popularity of cosmetic surgery has received a lot of backlash, supporters
believe that the extra dose of confidence and motivation is well worth the risk of going
under the knife.
I wonder what Queen Bey has to say about it, though.
#5 Iran Just like South Koreans, Iranians are willing
to pay for surgery, but the difference is they only focus on one part… their noses!
Would you believe Iran has the highest rate of rhinoplasty in the world?
Not really surprising considering that the procedure costs 80% cheaper there compared
to the US.
Due to the Islamic dress code, the nose is the only feature in women that can be exposed.
And if you walk around Tehran, you will see women in hijab with bandages on their noses.
It is believed that these ‘bandages of honor’ serve as a status symbol, so much so that
women keep them on even long after their surgeries have already healed!
Getting nose jobs are not limited to rich women, though.
Due to societal pressure, students and office workers save up to achieve that perfect nose!
#4 Japan What comes to mind when you hear the word
“kawaii”?
Charming outfits, lovable mascots, pretty accessories… but perhaps crooked teeth are
one of the least things you’d actually consider cute!
However, in Japan, people find a snaggle teeth or yaeba absolutely adorable!
In fact, some women undergo a procedure to place a protruding false tooth over their
canine tooth just to achieve the crooked look!
For Japanese men, the imperfect smile is something they find youthfully attractive.
The yaeba phenomenon also gained serious traction due to popstar Tomomi Itano of the pop group
AKB48, who sports natural snaggle teeth that a lot of fans wanted to emulate.
#3 Namibia The women of the Himba tribe in northwest
Namibia have long been one of the most favorite subjects of photographers for their exquisite
skin color.
Their distinctive reddish hue is the result of a paste called otjize, usually made of
butter, fat and red ochre, which they apply every morning to their hair and skin for that
fiery glow.
It is believed that the use of the red paste is merely for aesthetic purposes, kind of
like some age-old cosmetic to make the women look and feel more beautiful.
The Himba women also keep their elaborate dreadlocks in perfect shape by tending to
them several hours a day!
Women who are ready to be married tie their braids back, while married ones wear a headdress
made from animal skin to indicate their status.
Women of the tribe have to follow these customs to be noticed by men, because if one does
not get married in time, it can cost them a cattle as customary fine.
#2 France Have you heard of the French expression “jolie
laide”?
It literally translates to beautifully ugly, and it perfectly summarizes the French people’s
appreciation of naturally odd beauty.
Think Tilda Swinton, whose androgynous looks, translucent skin and platinum blonde locks
evoke a certain kind of unconventional charm.
It is this recognition of the perfectly imperfect look that has made models with freckled faces,
gapped teeth and rare skin color extremely popular in the French fashion scene.
They literally just woke up like this!
And they’re absolutely slaying it.
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#1 Tajikistan There’s something mysteriously seductive
about Tajik women’s mark of beauty.
One look and you’ll be mesmerized by their perfectly shaped unibrow that’s equally
effortless and elegant.
For women, the unibrow depicts purity, while for men, it is an indicator of strength.
People who weren’t naturally blessed with this rare beauty mark even resort to herbal
remedies to cop the distinctive look.
The most common remedy is an herb called usma.
They let it dry under the sun for a couple of hours, then grind the leaves into a paste
before smearing it on their eyebrows!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder indeed.
And there you have it!
Our list of 10 Unusual Beauty Standards from Around the World!
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Awesome, right!
We’re not done appreciating unconventional beauty just yet!
Check out our countdown of the 10 Unusual People Born with the Rarest Skin Color!
‘Til then, stay unique, fact-natics.
And see you in the next video!