Beauty is normal in our lives. We have our own fashions and ways to be stunning. Everyone has a definition of beauty. Most of us define beauty by make up, fashion and being fit. Sometimes, we need to spend money just to beautify ourselves. Some of us want to be a model so we need to do something just to look appealing.
However, in some cultures they have their own definition of beauty and maybe it is not familiar to us what is their own beauty. So in this list, we will learn about the different and unusual forms of beauty standards from all over the world. It may look unusual for others but that’s the symbol of beauty for those certain cultures. Take a look below for our list of 10 of the most unusual beauty standards in the world.
1. Lotus Feet
Lotus feet or foot binding is a tradition from the country of China where the young girls break and bind their feet to make it smaller and change its shape. It is a part of Chinese tradition that foot binding represents beauty and the smaller foot represents the empress’ foot.
The custom made shoes that women with lotus feet wearing called lotus shoes. It is a main practice that became popular among higher class during the Song Dynasty and lower class during the Qing Dynasty. However, this kind of practice is painful since it will deform your bones and shoes. So nowadays, foot binding has been banned. So, only the old women have this practice.
2. Lip Plates
In the Mursi people in Ethiopia, young woman will put a lip plate six months before the marriage. They start to get piercings at the age of 15 or 16. Their lips will cut by the woman as the experience of their bravery and perseverance.
The larger the lip plate is, the braver the woman is. It is a form of beauty since lip plates tends to attract a husband. Also, lip plates symbolizes beauty and bravery. When a Mursi woman doesn’t have lip plates, it depicts laziness. Also having a lip plate automatically a member of the tribe.
3. Woman With a Long Neck and Rings
Among the Kayan women in Northern Thailand and the border of Myanmar, elongating their necks and adding brass rings symbolizes beauty. The brass neck rings called “Padaung”. It starts at the age of five. They add rings to make a neck much longer. After, they add more rings every two years to make it much more longer. The longer the neck is, the more beautiful the woman is.
That’s the believe of a Kayan people. There’s is no actual explanation about this tradition. Even the Kayan women themselves didn’t know it. Some people says that longer necks serves as a protection for a woman from tiger attacks or kidnapping from the rival tribes. In today’s era, they do this just because it preserves their culture.
4. Crooked Teeth
Crooked teeth may look like vampires to us but in Japan, this kind of teeth symbolizes beauty. It is called Yaeba in Japanese. Japanese people find it attractive especially for the girls. It is symbolizes the sexual attractiveness of a woman. So, Japanese women go to the dental clinics just for the fake crooked teeth.
5. Scarification
Scarification is a form of body modification in which the skin cuts by the several sharp objects such as knifes, chisels, blades and others just to leave the scar. In Africa, scarification is a form of beauty. Having a scar makes you attractive. The scar may vary depending to the certain type, and size and a personal positions.
6. Plus-Sized Beauty
Did you know that being a fat people is just a symbol of beauty in Mauritania. Yes, Being a fat in Mauritania is the form of beauty. Being a bigger person is being more beautiful. It is normal in this country for having a big women. That’s their own beauty. The term used in this kind of practice is called “lebbouh”.
So to do that practice, they encourage the young girls to eat more and more foods to make it gain weight. They start this practice at the age of 5. They required to eat at least 16,000 calories of food every day. The bigger the woman is, the more fortune it comes. For the process. The girls send to the fat camps to eat more food. If they fail, they will be tortured and embarrassed.
7. Teeth Chiseling
In West Sumatra, Indonesia, the Mentawai people were sharpen their teeth with chisel. They practice it with no any anesthesia which is painful. The main purpose of this modification is being an aid to finding a partner. Also, it is a symbolism of beauty in inner spirit.
8. Elongated Ear Lobes
The Maasai people in Kenya stretched their earlobes just to depict beauty. It also symbolizes the social status. They stretch their earlobes by putting larger and larger objects until it become stretched. In Indonesia, The Dayak people do the same practice in the older generations. They start it at the infancy by making a pierce by the ballast in the form of rings. After, more rings will be added and added and added as soon as they grow order. It also symbolizes patience. However, this kind of practice is actually rare among Dayak people.
9. Nose Bandage
Iran has the world’s highest rate of nose surgery. It is a big trend in that country. Iran was already influenced by the Western stuff so the traditional ethnic Persian nose is out of fashion.
10. Black Teeth
In Japan, the women turning their teeth black. It is called Ohaguro. It is a tradition where the person blackens the teeth by the solution called kanemizu. It is the solution of vinegar and iron fillings as well as vegetable and tea tannins. They started practicing it at the age of fifteen as they are turning to be adults. This practice prevents tooth decay which it makes more beautiful. However, that type of custom is now banned since the Meiji Government.
