If you ask a group of individuals, “what does it mean to be beautiful?”, you will probably receive various responses based on their cultural background or mindset. This feedback prove that the saying, “Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder,” is nothing but true. Everywhere around the world, there is a perception of what a beautiful woman is. Whether it is tanned skin or a slim figure, women are bound to live up to certain standards otherwise they’ll be shamed by society. These beauty standards often limits women to represent themselves in the way they’d like to, thus prohibits them from displaying individuality. Is the idea of beauty around the world, much different than what we think it is? Let’s take a look at the beauty standards of different countries around the world.
Pakistan:
The history of Pakistan has been strongly influencing the standard of beauty, Pakistani women should live up to. Since the beginning, an ideal women is one with fair skin, almond eyes, long hair and a petite figure. They must also dress modestly and be well groomed. Since many parts of Pakistan is conservative, women should take care of their appearance otherwise they won’t be suitable for marriage. The beauty standard of Pakistan encourages skin bleaching and lightening, because fair skin is praised. Body hair is also something that is not exactly welcomed in the Pakistani beauty standard. There are usually great amounts of pressure on women to get their eyebrows threaded, or to get waxed, and more. Moreover, in terms of beauty products, women depend on natural means such as oils or recipes for face products more than chemical products. Women in Pakistan are known for their long silky hair, which is taken cared of using almond oil, for example.
South Korea:
In South Korea, women desire a milky smooth complexion. In the past, this skin tone was often associated with wealth and prestige, but currently it is associated with youthfulness. In the perspective of many asian countries, the first sign of aging is the pigmentation of the skin. This is the reason why many Korean women utilize whitening agents as a way of appearing fair skinned and as ageless as possible. Koreans focus more on hydrating and taking care of the skin from the start, rather than only fixing it when a problem arises. Skin care is essential to look beautiful without using much makeup. Another desired characteristic is having wide eyes. Many Korean women undergo double eyelid surgery to make their eyes appear larger. Generally, plastic surgery is incredibly popular in Korea comparing to other Asian countries. Plastic surgery is done subtly for women to fit the beauty standards of their country.
Nigeria:
Skin lightening products are incredibly popular in Nigeria. According to the World Health Organization, 77% of Nigerian women use skin lightening products regularly. As a matter of fact, bleaching products are the fourth most bought products after essentials such as milk, soap and tea. The appreciation for light skin complexion goes much more deeper than what meets the eye. In fact, let’s go back to Africa’s history of colonisation. Africa was heavily impacted and oppressed by the Europeans during the European colonial era. It is strongly believed due to this, light skin signifies beauty and superiority. Something that started off as a political ideology turned into a way of life. The representation on media and the lack of education on this topic also contributes to the increase in purchase of skin whitening and bleaching products. Living up to this beauty standard allows women to believe that they would acquire the status and privilege they desire along with the feeling of being beautiful.
Brazil:
In Brazil, beauty is a crucial aspect in finding a partner or job. Being attractive is so essential in Brazil that plastic surgery takes place at low costs or even for free at local hospitals. In fact, Brazil has become the second most popular country for plastic surgery. Whether it is liposuction or breast augmentation, women do so as they feel extremely pressured to have a perfect body.
Although plastic surgery is popular, women take a natural approach towards skin care. Since Brazil is a tropical country, women do not necessarily wear makeup as it will melt off easily. Instead, they utilize natural ingredients such as oils for healthy hair and skin.
India:
In this South Asian country, beauty standards are held from a young age. Little girls to young women aspire to be fair skinned and thin. In India, being beautiful means to have soft skin and be hairless. Women must have their eyebrows threaded and they must be waxed often. Indian girls and women must have long, thick, and silky hair. Moreover, they should also have almond shaped eyes. The requirements do not stop there, women must be skinny, tall and have dark eyebrows, thick eyelashes and a straight pointed nose. Your skin color may determine how you’re treated as a person too. Light-skinned women are often associated with superiority and wealth. Based on multiple Bollywood movies, it can be noticed how much light skinned women are idolized and adored. These movies promote it so much that a mindset has been created in the Indian society that being light skinned is beautiful. This influences many women to purchase skin lightening products and give brands, such as “Fair and Lovely”, attention and fame.
The similarity between the different beauty standards can be noticed in terms of skin lightening. Different parts of the Caribbean also face this issue such as Jamaica. In Jamaica, women tend to desire a lighter skin and just like Nigeria, this goes back into the history of slavery and colonialism. Brown Jamaicans, individuals born from white slave owners and black Jamaicans, were given much more privilege and greater access to resources. Even today, these somewhat rules exist where being of lighter skin means you have more wealth and power. Which is why, the drive to obtain a lighter complexion still exists so deeply.
Beauty standards incredibly impact the perspectives of many individuals based on their cultural background. They also destroy the self esteem for many individuals in which they feel the need to change themselves in order to be appreciated. These days, some countries are moving forward in terms of self love and appreciation in which campaigns are being introduced into their respective communities. Countries and places such as France and the United States are slowly moving forward in terms of self love and body positivity. Recently, the African country Rwanda has also banned the usage of skin bleaching products.
In the end, beauty comes from within. It arises from loving yourself and having a healthy self esteem. No amount of magazine covers, movies, or beauty products can define what it means to be beautiful and change you. Everyone has their own definitions of beauty and not fitting one’s ideal type doesn’t make you any less worthy. One day, if you haven’t already, you’ll recognize that your worth is much more than what beauty standards make you believe it is. Therefore, just love yourself and be who you truly are.
Comments