Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

I am a huge fan of fashion, beauty, trends, experimenting with different products, and discovering new ways to dress and accessorize. In North America, we have a particular idea of what “beauty” is. We invest in cosmetics, hair styling irons, keep up with the latest trends, and groom ourselves by shampooing our hair, moisturizing our skin, shaving, doing hair removal treatments (shout out to my brown girls), and more.  These are the beauty ideals of our world, and honestly, a lot of us follow these trends to be considered socially acceptable. The quote, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” means that something is beautiful, depending on the person who is observing it. Sure, we have our ideals in North America of what beauty is, but this got me thinking about the practices in different countries, and what is considered to be beautiful there. Surely, what we find to be beautiful in Canada (or in other parts of North America for that matter) will not be the same as what is found to be beautiful in Kenya, Jamaica, Fiji, or China! I read up some articles, and these are the most fascinating beauty ideals from around the world that I came across:

1) Ancient China – Foot Binding: 
Though this practice has long been outlawed in China, it is certainly one of the most interesting ones I read about! It began in the late T’ang dynasty and girls as young as three years old would begin the foot binding process. Foot binding achieved an ideal three inch lotus foot, much to the appreciation of Chinese men from that era who had a fetish with tiny feet.  Bound feet also displayed a high social status; families who could afford not to have their daughters work were desirable to marry into. However, poorer families also adopted this practice in hopes that their daughters would marry high on the social ladder and soon the practice spread widely throughout the country. The process was a rather painful one; the girl’s toes would be fractured and forced against her soles to achieve a concave figure. The feet were then wrapped tightly with bandages, hindering their growth so that even in adulthood, the feet remained the desired size. You can imagine the detrimental health effects that resulted from this practice! 

2)    Burma and Thailand – Brass Neck Rings:

The Padung sub-group of the Karen people in Northwestern Thailand (close to the Burmese border) observes beauty in the form of thick brass coils wrapped around a woman’s neck. These brass rings create the illusion of an elongated neck as the weight of the rings presses onto the upper ribs and collar bone in such a way that it appears to be part of the neck. There are many reasons why this practice is said to be performed, but the most popular is that it is alluring to men and an incentive for them to marry a woman. Girls as young as five begin the process and as they grow older, they add more rings.

3) South Africa & Jamaica– Curvier Women

     There are some countries where curves are adored! Such a positive and healthy step forward for women right? However, in South Africa this fetish has gotten a bit carried away and may not necessarily be healthy after all. In post –Apartheid South Africa (1990’s), western culture had a bit of an influence on women; skinny bodies were desired and women went to great extents such as eating disorders to achieve them. It wasn’t until the AIDS epidemic in the 90’s that the thin body image was associated with being sick, and ultimately, became less desirable. Today, having meat on your bones in South Africa is sought-after so heavily that naturally thin women overeat to pack on the pounds. South Africa is spiraling towards obesity, which in turn leads to diabetes (both type I and type II), coronary heart disease, and even cancers. 

     In Jamaica, curves are also welcome but more so for the reason that Jamaican dance styles involve vigorous hip movements and shaking what you got! 

4)  New Zealand – Ta Moko:

Ta Moko is tattoo art (drawn on the face), that was once greatly practiced in New Zealand by the Maori people. The tattoos represented many aspects of an individual's identity including rank, geology, and even tribal history; they were also a form of identification in the sense that an individual knew his tattoo design by heart. Each intricate line, spiral, or twirl in the design had a significant representation and it was believed that displaying Ta Moko art greatly enhanced one’s physical appearance. The decline in the practice can be attributed to the settlement of the early European colonizers in New Zealand who were able to influence the younger generation of Maori people into thinking the practice was vulgar. Today, Ta Moko is still done by some people; however without the same skill and research that was once the pinnacle of the practice.

Now that I’ve discussed some of the beauty ideals around the world that stood out to me, I would love to read about what you think and if this post inspired you to do further research about any of these practices! Also, if you know of any other fascinating beauty ideals from other cultures, maybe even one that you are a part of, please leave a comment below! The world is a huge place with numerous countries and cultures, all of which observe different practices – beauty is evident in all of them!