Weird Beauty Standards People Strive for in Different Parts of the World

It’s no secret that tattoos are pretty popular in various places around the world. In New Zealand, they prefer to have them on their lips and chins; in India, they like to have Henna tattoos on their hands and feet; and in Senegal, they like to tattoo their gums. Women in Senegal think tattooed gums give them a more unique and beautiful smile, and so it’s become a common practice.

It seems pretty painful to tattoo your gums, and we imagine you have to avoid eating or drinking for a bit. So we have no doubt the women doing this are pretty awesome.

Facial Tattoos – New Zealand

Tattoos have been pretty popular worldwide, but in many places, they are reserved for the parts of the body from the neck down. That is not the case in the Māori tribe of New Zealand, where facial tattoos are prevalent and a sign of beauty. Each and every tattoo has its own meaning and significance while also indicating a woman’s position in the tribe and which tribe she belongs to.

Facial Tattoos - New Zealand

intuitive_moko/Instagram

It’s almost like wearing a name tag right on your face everywhere you go. It must be convenient but also sometimes frustrating to have everyone know everything about you at first glance.

Stained Teeth – China

Did you think that perfectly white teeth were considered beautiful everywhere in the world? Think again! In some rural areas of China, the opposite is true. Not only do they not encourage you to brush your teeth to keep them nice and white, they even go so far as to encourage dark and blackened teeth. There are certain tribes that dye their teeth a blackish color in order to appear beautiful.

Stained Teeth - China

Wikipedia

Dyed teeth can also mean that a woman is married, and it is a common custom in some tribes. At least they never have to be bothered with brushing their teeth again!

Red Skin – Namibia

People’s skincare routines and beauty standards for their skin also vary from region to region. Now you can see what is oftentimes considered beautiful in places in Africa. Within the Himba tribe in Namibia, people want their skin to be redder. As their skin is oftentimes not naturally red-toned, they have created a paste that is applied to the skin daily.

Red Skin - Namibia

Yves Picq

This paste, made from clay and oil or fat, is actually used to protect their skin from the powerful sun. So they have essentially made sunscreen (and its skin-staining capabilities) fashionable.

Eyeball Implants – Netherlands

Have you ever heard of an extraocular implant? It is not a very common term, and if you don’t live in the Netherlands, you probably have no idea what this is without doing a Google search. But don’t worry; we got you: an extraocular implant is a surgical procedure that implants a small piece of molden platinum into the eye of the person. You can even choose whatever design and shape you want.

Eyeball Implants - Netherlands

US News

Although you have probably never seen or heard of something like this before, if you head over to the Netherlands, don’t be surprised by the little shapes in people’s eyes.

Extra Long Locks – India

Long hair is valued in many different cultures around the world. It is often considered a sign of true beauty and feminism. In India, in particular, long hair is very much valued. Rooted in the Hindi religion and spirituality, the trend of long hair has caused many women to grow their hair to extreme lengths. Oftentimes hair is grown out just to be donated to a temple as a spiritual offering.

Extra Long Locks - India

www.flickriver.com

This lady seems to be competing with Rapunzel when it comes to her hair!

Stretched Out Earlobes – Masai African Tribes

The love of earrings is pretty universal. There are not many cultures that exist that don’t have some form of ear jewelry that is popular. In many African tribes, however, they take things to the next level. Instead of just appreciating the fashionable earrings, they actually make an effort to stretch out the ear lobes with earrings. The Masai tribe in Eastern Africa is famous for their very, very elongated earlobes.

Stretched Out Earlobes - Masai African Tribes

Wikimedia Commons

The elongated earlobe is actually seen as a status symbol for many women in the Masai tribe. The bigger the earlobe, the higher social status you can obtain.

Large Nose Plugs – India

Jumping to India, we’re looking into what is considered beautiful within the Apatani tribe. Modeled by this stunning woman, you can see that they value something called a nose plug. It is almost like a piercing or a gauge that is inserted into the nostrils. It can be on one side or both, and it can be of varying sizes (but the bigger, the better).

Large Nose Plugs - India

flickr

This is sort of similar to the earlobe stretching in Africa. If you remove the nose plug, there will probably be a large gaping hole similar to the earlobes in African tribes.

Stick Piercings – Brazil

And here you have the latest in piercings from around the world. Although it is somewhat similar to the long cheek piercing you saw in Thailand, it is quite different. Women of the Yanomami clans, which can be found in the rainforest of South America, are known to have a unique way of showing beauty. They are pierced with multiple sticks that stick out (for lack of a better word) from their mouth area.

Stick Piercings - Brazil

Wikimedia Commons

It seems pretty cumbersome to have these sticks constantly protruding as you are going about your daily business, but it wouldn’t be the most uncomfortable beauty feat on this list.

Larger Booties – USA

It’s funny to see how trends can change so quickly in society. One second the beauty standard is that flat bottoms are all the rage (in the 90s, it was the flatter the better), and then just a few years later, the exact opposite is true. Now in the USA, most people are striving to increase the size of their lower half, with inspiration from Kim Kardashian and the whole Kardashian clan.

Larger Booties - USA

xxapple_e/Instagram

More than just a big bottom, it is also stressed to have a small waist. The age-old hourglass shape has replaced the pencil shape that was popular in the 90s and 00s.

Stretched Necks – Burma

Want a neck as long as a giraffe’s? Although you might’ve never considered this a possibility, in many parts of the world, it’s one of a woman’s most desired beauty traits. If you were not born lucky enough to have a naturally elongated neck, and you live in a place like Burma, there are neck stretching devices (like the jewelry in the picture) that can help you.

Stretched Necks - Burma

Shutterstock

This is also fairly common in many African tribes as well. Long necks are known to be a sign of beauty and a very desirable trait for women.

Larger, Shapely Noses – Afghanistan

Although most of the world is leaning towards a very specific nose shape as their standard of beauty, Afghanistan is embracing the local look and encouraging people to keep their larger and more shapely noses. Not everyone wants the same small button nose that is popular in many cultures at this time. Afghani women are the exact opposite and sometimes even try to get surgeries to make their noses even larger.

Larger, Shapely Noses - Afghanistan

Twitter / Radhika Sanghani

It’s funny how the idea of beauty can be so different in different places around the world. Kudos to Afghanistan for embracing the natural beauty look for most of their people!

Intentional Scars – West Africa

In most parts of the world, people try to hide their scars. If they have an accident that leaves a mark, they usually will do everything in their power to cover it up so no one can see that anything happened. However, in some parts of the world, things are very different. In many African tribes and New Guinea, it is common to scar yourself intentionally. These scars are considered marks of beauty.

Intentional Scars - West Africa

John Atherton

These scars are most commonly found in men and are a way to show strength and proof that you are a warrior. They are most certainly never hidden from anyone.

Hair Everywhere – France

In recent years the common Western beauty standard has become that removing almost all body hair is the definition of beauty. However, some countries ignore this trend and stick with their own beauty. In some European countries, most famously France, it is common for women to leave most of their natural body hair intact (just like men do). Underarm and leg hair does not need to be removed for women to be considered beautiful.

Hair Everywhere - France

jeannedaheuiller/Instagram

This one is so nice that it tempts us to move to France! Imagine never touching a razor again – it sounds like heaven to us.

Keeping on Extra Weight – Mauritania

Diet culture has been a popular pressure throughout the world for quite some time now. Although the pressure to be extremely thin has decreased in the past few years, most cultures are still not pressuring weight gain. That is, with the exception of Mauritania. In Mauritania, it is encouraged to have some extra weight. In fact, the more, the better. It is a sign of wealth and good fortune there.

Keeping on Extra Weight - Mauritania

pixabay.com

If you are very thin in Mauritania, people might actually think that you are very poor and don’t have access to enough food. Weight means wealth, and people expect you to show it off.

Sharpened, Pointy Teeth – Indonesia

Teeth can make or break a smile according to some beauty standards. The most commonly known teeth beauty standard is white, straight, and clean. However, that is not the standard in all places in the world. In Indonesia, they have a unique choice of tooth beauty. For them, the sharper the tooth, the more beautiful the look. As this is not very common to be naturally occurring, most women file their teeth to get them to look like this.

Sharpened, Pointy Teeth - Indonesia

Amino

Even though it can be painful to file your teeth to a point and painful to use your teeth daily, it is still pretty standard in Indonesia.

Fake Tans – USA

Having bronzed or tanned skin has become quite popular in the West. People are known to spend hours in the sun just to get a little bit of a summer glow. However, they may have taken things a little too far in the 2000s when fake tans became all the rage. Spray tans, tanning beds, and excessive amounts of bronzer became a necessity for everyone.

Fake Tans - USA

@miaxmon/Twitter

The most interesting aspect of this trend is that most of the time, it was pretty obvious that the tans were fake as they did not look very realistic.

Untouched Unibrows – Tajikistan

When it comes to Western beauty standards, it is usually the less hair, the better. Hair removal is commonplace and can occur over the entire body. People are also known to spend hours shaping their eyebrows and ensuring no hair is out of place. In Tajikistan, that is not necessarily the case. People there value excess facial hair, especially when it comes to eyebrows. If you have a unibrow, you could just be the belle of the town.

Untouched Unibrows - Tajikistan

Wikimedia Commons

This beauty standard is for both men and women, as they both strive for the full unibrow. Young children are known to even pencil in a unibrow if they do not already have one.

Plastic Surgery Bandages – Iran

Most people in the world don’t want to let anyone know when they have gotten plastic surgery done. They like to keep things very hush-hush and on the down low. However, in some places like Iran, they want to show off their plastic surgery bandages. Instead of hiding in their rooms for weeks after a procedure, they boast the bandages with pride everywhere they go. That’s pretty surprising, isn’t it?

Plastic Surgery Bandages - Iran

eBaum’s World

This is particularly the case with nose jobs in the country, as they are extremely common for both men and women. Many people want straight noses when they are born with the opposite,  so they get surgery.

Pierced Cheeks – Thailand

Piercings of all sorts are pretty common all throughout the world. Ear piercings are the most common, but there are also bellybutton piercings, nose piercings, and so much more. In Thailand, they have a special type of piercing that is popular for both men and women: the cheek piercing. Although it looks quite painful, especially depending on the size of the piercing (and what is portrayed in this picture), it is still not uncommon.

Pierced Cheeks - Thailand

Wikimedia Commons

The cheek piercing is also used to show religious devotion. Although it is not exclusive to religious people, it is a common sign among them.

The Pear Shape – Brazil

Most people dread the idea of being considered to have a pear body shape. It is often demonized in Western media and seen as not beautiful. However, that is not the case in Brazil. The pear shape (also known as the guitar shape there) is considered the ideal body shape to have, and everyone is striving to achieve that. People want to have larger bottoms and smaller chests.

The Pear Shape - Brazil

the_other_mk/Instagram

As in many countries, being overly thin is not a sign of beauty but rather a sign of poverty. They think that if you are thin, you are malnourished and probably poor.

Crooked Teeth – Japan

Although perfectly straight teeth are a sign of beauty in many places around the world, in Japan, things are a little bit different. Braces are not the norm there, and often people will leave their crooked teeth alone and embrace them. Crooked teeth are considered cute and sweet, and countless people in Japan would do anything to misalign their perfectly straight teeth. Maybe they need to come up with a company for reverse braces.

Crooked Teeth - Japan

Japan Today

It really could be an excellent business opportunity to help people get their crooked teeth back or at least they can eliminate the need for retainers. If you had braces in the past, you could just let your teeth go back to their crooked ways.

Unnaturally Wide Eyes – Parts of Asia

Perhaps due to the overwhelming pressure of Western beauty standards on the rest of the world (Hollywood is partially to thank for that), many Asian countries have developed a desire to have bigger, more Western-shaped eyes. South Korea and Japan, along with many other countries in Asia, value bigger eyes and have made it a very desirable feature. This is also a hard trait to change if you are not born with it.

Unnaturally Wide Eyes - Parts of Asia

min_seo_hee/Instagram

Some surgeries allow people to change the shape of their eyes to make them appear larger, but they are expensive and not very common.

Larger Foreheads – Parts of Africa

In most cultures, beauty standards make people terrified of a receding hairline that will result in a high or big forehead. But in many African tribes, that is not a concern at all. If your hairline starts to recede, all the better for you! This is actually considered one of the top most beautiful features a person could have. Some people go so far as to force the higher forehead.

Larger Foreheads - Parts of Africa

Fulani News Media/Facebook

Many tribal women will remove portions of their hair to make it look like they have a more prominent or higher forehead. They are known to remove entire sections of their hairline intentionally.

Body Paint Made of Chalk – Ethiopia

Have you ever wondered what it would look like to design interesting pictures and paint your body with white chalk? Although the answer is probably no, there are some tribes in Ethiopia that do this commonly. White chalk body paint is common in the Caro tribe in Ethiopia. Both men and women are known to decorate their bodies with these spider web-like motifs to present themselves as the most beautiful in the village.

Body Paint Made of Chalk - Ethiopia

Wikimedia Commons

It seems like a pretty fun job to be the local village artist who paints these designs on everyone. If you are rude to them, you will get the ugliest design.

“Glass Skin” – South Korea

Skincare and a wrinkle-free face are pretty much valued in every culture. Women (and men) throughout the world buy countless creams and spend hours on skincare routines to keep their skin looking young and fresh. In South Korea, they take things to the next level in the strive for “glass skin.” What is glass skin, you might ask? Is it the most flawless version of skin that is also shiny and translucent?

"Glass Skin" - South Korea

Skin Treats

In order to maintain and achieve this level of perfect skin, women are said to implement a ten-step skincare regimen. That sounds not only time-consuming but expensive!

Uber Pale Skin – China

In case you have ever seen people from China walking around with a sun umbrella on a hot summer day, this beauty standard may be the explanation of why. In China, unlike many Western countries, people want pale skin. The paler, the better. Sun tans are not popular and are even avoided at all costs. They even go to the next level by selling beauty products with a light bleaching agent in them to keep the skin light.

Uber Pale Skin - China

Shutterstock

Although some people might go so far as to use bleaching skin products, most Chinese people will just try to stay out of the sun, use a sun umbrella, or wear a mask to keep that pale skin glow.

Turmeric-Stained Skin – India

If you have ever visited India, it is unlikely that you missed the insanely large amounts of turmeric that were found everywhere. Whether it is in your food or on your skin (as is common), it can be found everywhere. What you probably also noticed is that it stains everything and very badly. If you spilled a little bit of your turmeric rice, there was no getting it out; your shirt would be yellow forever.

Turmeric-Stained Skin - India

www.bollywoodshaadis.com

Imagine that same concept on your skin. It is very popular in India to do face masks with turmeric, which inevitably leaves the skin stained a little yellow. However, don’t worry, because this is actually considered beautiful!

Shaved and Bald Heads – Parts of Africa

Different lengths of hair can be considered beautiful and trendy depending on the place and time period. In some places in Africa, the most beautiful hairdo is the one where all the hair is shaved off. A bald head is a sign of beauty and is oftentimes considered more beautiful than those with long hair, braids, or fancy hairdos. It certainly makes for easier hair upkeep on the day-to-day.

Shaved and Bald Heads - Parts of Africa

Wikipedia

It must be nice if this is also relevant for men. Those who are balding don’t need to worry about trying to find preventions and solutions to their balding heads.

Rosy Under Eyes – Japan

Until the rise of Gen Z, discolored under eyes were considered one of the worst things a person could have. They meant that you were tired or not in your best health, and people would spend ages trying to ensure that any discoloration was completely covered. However, in Japan, they actually consider reddish or rosy under eyes as a beautiful feature. Women even put blush there to obtain the sought-after look.

Rosy Under Eyes - Japan

nomakenolife

This makeup look is literally known as the “sickly” look in Japan. Lucky for all the people who are actually sick who don’t need to bother putting makeup on to look trendy!

Super Thick Lips – USA

In recent years (also partially thanks to the Kardashian clan), there has been a widespread trend to have extremely plump lips. The bigger, the better is clearly the case here. As most people are not born with enormous lips, botox, lip fillers, and surgeries have become very popular as people are desperate to create an enormous pout. Countless celebrities have this look which creates the overall beauty standard for the rest of society.

Super Thick Lips - USA

@OnlineChiquis/Twitter

People have even been known to tape their top lip to the area under their nose so that they can create the look of enormous, plump, and puffy lips.

Henna Tattoos – India

Continuing on the theme of tattoos, India has their own custom that has become pretty world-famous in recent years. Henne tattoos, which are essentially temporary tattoos made from the dye of the henna plant, are very common for women, especially on special occasions. The tattoos are intricate and beautifully designed and can cover any part of the body, even though they are most common on the hands and feet.

Henna Tattoos - India

admin.bigglobaltravel.com

This is a pretty nice beauty standard as it is harmless, artistic, and temporary. It’s great for people who want a tattoo but can’t decide on the design that they want to be permanently on their body.

Perfect Teeth – USA

Orthodontists in the US are known to have a pretty endless stream of work in line for them. There is no shortage of children that need their teeth straightened, and since perfect, straight, white teeth are so important in American culture, it’s a pretty sure career choice. Unlike some of the other countries on this list, the US finds perfect, not sharp, white teeth to be the picture of beauty.

Perfect Teeth - USA

Andres Rodriguez/Flickr

Teeth whitening and straightening are very popular in the US. People with practically perfect teeth are also known to get their teeth straightened and spend thousands of dollars on the procedure.

Heart Shaped Face – South Korea

Most cultures don’t really have an ideal face shape. They will probably have general beauty standards, but a specific facial shape is not usually among the top requirements. However, in South Korea, the story is a little bit different. The desire to have a heart-shaped face is so strong that, even on a short visit to the country, you will notice that there are countless offers for surgeries that create this shaped face.

Heart Shaped Face - South Korea

girlstyle.com

The most common way to give women this much-desired look is complete plastic surgery on their chins to give them a more pointed look, creating the perfect heart shape.

The Natural Look – France

This is a beauty standard that most people will happily get behind. Although heavy makeup may be very common in different parts of the world, and there are countless women who do not feel beautiful leaving their houses without a full face of makeup, that is discouraged in France. The natural, no makeup look is much more appreciated in France and is encouraged as the common choice for most women.

The Natural Look - France

camillevergnes/Instagram

This comes from a love in French culture to embrace people’s uniqueness and their natural beauty. Hopefully, this beauty standard will catch on in the rest of the world very quickly.

Thin Noses – South Korea

South Korea has quite a few particular beauty standards on this list, and here is the latest. In South Korea, the thinner your nose is, the better. Along with the double eyelid and the big eyes, you might notice that many of these features are based on making themselves look more Western. The heart-shaped face obsession, however, may be specific to just South Korea and not the rest of the world.

Thin Noses - South Korea

imgur.com

People are known to pinch their noses in hopes of getting a thinner nose profile. Whether or not this squeezing actually works is very much debated.

General Piercing – USA

As can be seen in various different countries all around the world, piercings of all different types are quite popular. Whether it is nose piercings or cheek piercings (like in Thailand), they are usually considered beautiful. In the USA, facial piercings, in general, are pretty common and popular everywhere. Ear piercings and eyebrow piercings and nose piercings, you name it! Some people also think that it is the more, the merrier.

General Piercing - USA

tianna.jade/Instagram

Although this is not a requirement to be considered beautiful in the US, it is very common, and it certainly helps to up the cool factor. Young adults often want to get piercings just to make themselves look cooler or tougher.

Double Eyelids for Wider Eyes – South Korea

If you are planning to move to South Korea, keep in mind that they seem to have some pretty strict beauty standards. Beyond the love of the heart-shaped face, they also greatly value the double eyelid. Although this may seem unnatural, it can occur naturally for some people. What is the benefit of a double eyelid? South Koreans think that by having a double eyelid, their eyes will appear wider and more beautiful.

Double Eyelids for Wider Eyes - South Korea

www.pexels.com

There is even surgery available for those who want to unnaturally create this look. However, a little bit of tape is the much more common method used by most people.

Squiggle Brows – USA

If you thought that the unibrow of Tajikstan was a unique beauty standard, introducing the squiggle brow. It is unclear if people just got bored with the eyebrow trends or if they honestly think this looks nice, but either way, it did make an appearance in the US among beauty and fashion bloggers and influencers. Besides looking like an extreme amount of work, it also looks a bit like a worm above the eye.

Squiggle Brows - USA

@NikitaDragun/Twitter

This is certainly one of those trends that people will look back on and cringe about when they think of what they used to do just to look cool or beautiful.

Chiseled Teeth – Parts of Africa

Indonesia is not the only place that values a particular shape to the teeth of its most beautiful people. In many African tribes, the practice of tooth chiseling is quite common for women. The procedure, which is quite painful, occurs every year and makes sure that the woman’s teeth are beautiful but also fierce looking. It’s not hard to look very fierce once you chisel your teeth to a point!

Chiseled Teeth - Parts of Africa

photogallery.indiatimes.com

The tooth-chiseling process, although extremely painful, shows a woman’s status and makes her appear more beautiful. But who said that beauty has to equal pain?

Celebrities Who Spent A Fortune Changing Their Looks

John Travis

This article was originally published on 24/7Mirror

One of the Hollywood taboos is also a “hobby” for many, going under the knife. Although not many celebrities admit to having plastic surgery, it all becomes quite evident sooner or later. As some celebrities openly admit it – like the Kardashians – others hide it. So, here are some of the most expensive celebrity plastic surgeries. ​

Heidi Montag – $1,000,000

As Heidi Montag appeared with her boyfriend (now husband), Spencer Pratt, in the TV show The Hills, the couple received a lot of love and hate.

Heidi Montag – $1,000,000

She was insecure about her looks and had a lot of grief for her plastic surgery decisions that have cost her a lot of money. She was so addicted to it that she even had ten procedures in one day.

Jennifer Aniston – $30,500

Ah, the beautiful Rachel Green from famous American sitcom still looks younger, and we absolutely love her. She hasn’t admitted to going under the knife, but experts suggest that she has had at least two nose jobs and a facelift in the past two decades. However, she has admitted to treatments such as famous laser and ultrasound ‘no-scalpel’ facials, which she has at least once a month.

Jennifer Aniston – $30,500

On the other hand, many people believe that she still looks younger because of her extensive skincare and beauty regimen. It is rumored that her eyebrows alone cost around $900 per year.

Kourtney Kardashian – $25,000

As expected, the Kardashians will take up a fair share of our list. Kourtney Kardashian was in college when she decided to have breast augmentation, and she was not happy with the results. According to her, she wishes she hadn’t had it done.

Kourtney Kardashian – $25,000

Kourtney believes that surgery is an extreme first step, and that’s why she might even consider lasers as an alternative method if she decides to make any future changes to her face or body.

Nicki Minaj – $11,500

Nicki Minaj is a huge celebrity and a role model for many young black women. However, it is worth mentioning that her signature look is not natural.

Nicki Minaj – $11,500

It took over $11,000 to give her the look that she has today. The procedures include buttock implants, skin bleaching, and a nose job.

Victoria Beckham – $12,956

Victoria, the wife of David Beckham, has a love-hate relationship with plastic surgery. It is because she had bits and pieces done on her body and then removed as well.

Victoria Beckham – $12,956

She has openly admitted about her breast augmentation and regrets her decision to get them done. She is quite outspoken about it and says that she did it due to insecurity. “Don’t mess with your boobs, just celebrate what you’ve got,” she said.

Pete Burns – $38,000

The late English musician was known for his ever-changing and sometimes androgynous appearance, and he did not shy away from admitting that they were possible because of a lot of cosmetic surgeries.

Pete Burns – $38,000

Although he had many other procedures, the common ones he had were lip fillers, cheek implants, and nose jobs.

Kylie Jenner – $2,000,000

It was reported by “OK! Magazine” that the entire sum of Kylie Jenner’s surgeries might be about two million dollars. Yes, you’ve read it right.

Kylie Jenner – $2,000,000

However, she has publically admitted only to lip fillers because (allegedly) her date said to her that he didn’t think she would be any good at kissing. There are rumors that she’s had Botox, breast implants along with other procedures.

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