The Definition of Beauty World Wide

Photo: Google Images

In this post I am going to tell you about what different cultures around the world find beautiful.


The Kayan Tribe

Photo: Donna Cymek

This tribe is found in Thailand, and is known for their brass coils that are worn around the women's necks. These coils are known as giraffe, and are first applied to young girls around age 5. Every so often the coils are replaced by a longer coil. After a period of time the weight of these brass coils start to push their collar bone down and compress their rib cage, which gives the appearance of a longer neck. These harmful effects of the brass coils will not cause the women to suffocate, but it will give them bad bruising.

There are many different theories as to why the women wear the coils. Some theories are that the rings protected the women from becoming slaves by making them seem less attractive to other tribes, and that the rings give the women more of a resemblance to a dragon which is a major figure in the Kayan culture. There are many other theories about the rings but when asked why they wear the rings the women say it is because in their cultural that is beautiful.

Islamic Republic of Mauritania

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a northwestern African nation. Women in Mauritania are seen as more beautiful when they are heavier. This culture find heavier women more attractive because they are seen as wealthy and more socially accepted than slimmer women. In this culture being fat is everything. A women that is seen as being too thin are sometimes stuffed with camel or cow milk, day and night to ensure that they gain weight, this is known as gavage. If a women still can't gain weight then they turn to dangerous black market drugs to do so.

Photo: Karin Lakeman

The Masai

Photo: Ralph van Bemmel

The Masai is a tribe in Kenya, Africa. In this tribe long stretched out earlobes are the ideal. This culture also uses different types of jewelry, like the earrings, in order to reflect her status in society. For example this makes it easier for one to tell weather a woman is married, widowed or single. The different jewelry also makes it easier to tell what the women's status is in society. 

Photo: Ralph van Bemmel

Middle East 

Photo: Mnadi

Beauty in the Middle East is not connected with what one see, but rather what one does not see. This is because in the Middle East it is seen to be inappropriate for a woman to show any part of her body except her hands and eyes. These women are covered from head to toe with a long robe-like dress called an abaya. Since women of the Middle East have to wear an abaya and show only their eyes and hands, they have to accessorize in other ways. These women tend to wear dark charcoal makeup on their eyes to make them stick out more. They also tend to have henna tattoos on their hands and wear headscarves and jewelry to decorate their abaya.

Photo: Nouf Kinani

Japan

Photo: Wikiposter0123

Women in Japan are known best for their silky white skin. They women in Japan wish to have this white complexion because they believe that "only those rich enough could stay indoors, while peasants baked in the rice fields" (Bray). In order for them to achieve this skin-tone they use nightingale droppings. The story behind the use of the nightingale droppings is that "The story is that a maiden fell asleep under a tree where some nightingale droppings fell on to her face. When she awoke the dried 'poop' was cleaned away and it was noticed her skin had become smoother and lighter in color" (Natural Japanese Beauty). These droppings are a fine odorless powder that is mixed to form a paste, which is then applied to the face. This tradition has been handed down from one generation to the next. This procedure is also used as much today as it was in past centuries. 

Today in Japan many women are going under the knife. These women are getting plastic surgery in order to make their eyes look larger. This procedure has become very popular in Japan. The women today find with wider eyes they look more beautiful.

The Maori Tribe

Photo: Quinn Dombrowski

The Maori tribe of New Zealand finds beauty in tattoos, especially facial tattoos. This tribe has been tattooing for many years. The myth behind why they tattoo is that is started with a "love affair between a young man by the name of Mataora (which means "Face of Vitality") and a young princess of the underworld by the name of Niwareka. One day however, Mataora beat Niwareka, and she left Mataroa, running back to her father's realm which was named "Uetonga". Mataora, filled with guilt and heartbreak followed after his princess Niwareka. After many trials, and after overcoming numerous obstacles, Mataora eventually arrived at the realm of "Uetonga", but with his face paint messed and dirty after his voyage. Niwareka's family taunted and mocked Mataora for his bedraggled appearance. In his very humbled state, Mataora begged Niwareka for forgiveness, which she eventually accepted. Niwareka's father then offered to teach Mataora the art of tattooing, and at the same time Mataora also leant the art of Taniko - the plaiting of cloak borders in many colors. Mataora and Niwareka thus returned together to the human world, bringing with them the arts of ta moko and taniko" (Whitmore). Since then the Maori people have been tattooing. 

This tribe believe that women are more attractive when they have tattoos on their lips which make them a dark blue color. The women's tattoos also are a way of showing men what they have to offer, so they normal get their first facial tattoos, or 'moko', early because it is important for them to get married and have children at a young age. The 'moko' does not only make a woman more attractive, but it also tells about the "bearer's rank, lineage, special skills and marriage status" (Furst). From all the meaning behind these tattoos they not only make women more attractive but they also serve as an identifier. 

Photo: Pietroizzo

The Mursi Tribe

Photo: Gusjer

When you look at a Mursi woman the last thing you would think about it how beautiful they look, but in their culture the larger the clay plate in your bottom lip the more beautiful you are. In order to place the plates in the bottom lip you have to first pierce it and they stretch the hole by increasing the size of the plate. The women of Mursi Ethiopia see these plates as a symbol "of a women's beauty, pride and sexual maturity" (Furst). 

Photo: Ingiro