what is classed as beautiful?

in Japan, a new style has emerged where women are paying to have their perfect teeth disarranged. It is said to be more attractive to Japanese men because it is viewed as endearing, and shows that a girl is not perfect, therefore making them more approachable. This new trend (also known as “tooth crowding”  in the U.S) is called “yaeba” in Japanese. It makes you wonder that women must be pretty darn perfect over there, or very appearance-conscious to make an such a un-Westerny alteration. Giving a whole new meaning to “imperfections are what make us beautiful”, the perfect smile in Japan at the moment, is one of imperfection.


n a tribe in Indonesia, chiseled, sharp pointy teeth are seen as beautiful. Women will undergo this painful procedure not only for social acceptance and beauty, but also because they believe that it maintains balance in the body and soul. Only done with man-made tools by the tribe,  no anesthetics are used to dull the pain except green banana to bite on.


Practiced in the Maori tribes of New Zealand (the place of origin of tattoos according to archaeological evidence) men will get traditional tattoos representing the wearer’s ancestral importance. It is usually tattoed on the head, considered the most sacred part of the body and (obviously) bears an undeniable declaration of who you are.
These indigenous people, who are of Polynesian descent, believe women are more attractive when their lips and chins are tattooed. A woman with full, blue lips is considered the most beautiful and desirable.



hey practice a form of tattooing called scarification where the skin in risen by cutting it to leave a visible scar after it heals. They make geometric patterns on the body or face which are meant it be a rite of passage; it shows age, wealth, social status and is consider a sign of beauty. 


Considered a sign of beauty in the Mursi tribe of Ethiopia Africa, the lip plate is worn by women daily who seek acceptance and to appear desirable to men. When the women are ready to marry, they begin the process of the lip plate by making a hole in the lower lip with a wood stick which is expanded a little everyday. Eventually, when the hole is big enough, women insert a plate and gradually the plate is replaced by a bigger plate until it has reached its full size. It is a very painful process which girls have to undergo for months, where somtimes the teeth have to be broken to insert the plate, but once suceeded, they are seen as the epitome of beauty! also, the bigger the plate, the more beautiful the woman..

Women are also shaved, like the men, because they hate hairiness




kayans: Another theory is that in certain cultures, an elongated neck gives the woman the appearance of a dragon
















wodaabe 
 They prefer light skin, long straight noses, even white teeth and clear whites of the eyes. They want to be tall and slender with lean, long limbs. Fine featured with thin lips, the Fulani women are considered to be the most beautiful in Western Africa.To enhance the desired physical traits, the women’s lips are tattooed a blue color that extends beyond the lips and into the skin. This is to make their skin appear lighter. The men may paint their faces with a yellow ochre and outline their eyes with kohl for the same reason.



androgyny