The Point of this Blog

The purpose of this blog is to gather research by collecting feedback on “the different perceptions of beauty”, my high school 30 page research paper. I chose to write about this topic because I feel like it has a lot to do with how the world works. It is part of much larger issues such as the ever-present problem of discrimination, and sharply divides the world in some ways because our instinct to judge so quickly. What would be praised by society and considered beautiful in one country could as easily be considered unatractive and strange in another. These different perceptions make up the cultures of the world and are all based on their own values and history. I will also analyze the extent(pain) that people will go, to achieve what they consider beautiful. To be frank, coming from a generally neutral culture of beauty myself (the most extreme would be piercings,tattoos, a overly thin waist) according to the rest of the world, I am interested in exploring the peculiar cultures in the world and different factors that form the perceptions beauty; such as culture and the pressure of the media and society.  I also would like to disect the fundamental idea of beauty itself: is it true that despite the drastic difference between cultures on the perception of beauty, do we all have some similar criteria in common?

My main point of this blog is to collect feedback on your idea of beauty or the idea of beauty of the culture you grew up in. Feel free to share your opinion and thoughts! 🙂 It would be greatly appreciated. there is a “comments” button at the bottom of each post.

a keen researcher,

Ruby

!!~Survey~!!

This is probably my most important post to collect info for my research. Just 10 minutes of your time would be greatly appreciated 🙂

 

 

http://culturalbeauty.limequery.com/index.php?sid=38362

Nifty Nose Plugs

Unlike my previous posts, this unusual ethnic fashion doesn’t serve the purpose of making a woman more attractive. Ironically, it serves the complete opposite. Women of the ancient Apatani tribe in India were once considered the most beautiful women in their region. Their villages were constantly raided by neighboring tribes and their beautiful women kidnapped. Thus, this traditional nose plug was born as a means to protect the women of the tribe to make them appear (a lot) less attractive to the other tribes. They also commonly tattooed their faces with a horizontal line from their  forehead to the tip of their nose. This bizarre accessory no doubt served it’s ultimate goal of turning off any raider in search of a beautiful woman among the Apatani women. The tradition hasn’t been practiced by any women born after 1970 though, as the custom is quickly dying out for obvious reasons.

more about the nose plug: http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/the-weird-nose-plugs-of-the-apatani-women.html

The Perfect Smile

As an uplifting saying goes, “a beautiful smile is your best accessory,” is a message to the world that beauty is not only skin deep, but also an attitude. To have a smile on your face, is the universal language of kindness and one of the few universal natural features of beauty. But despite this natural capability, some cultures have managed to form their own idea of the perfect teeth. In the Western world today, a radiant smile would consist of porcelain white, perfectly aligned, faultless teeth. Celebrities grace this idealism on the cover magazines, movies, and advertisement. Anybody with money and a high social status is expected to have a that perfect smile to go along with their image, so this idealism of perfect teeth has become a standard trait of beauty in the Western culture and one the majority of the world shares.

Meanwhile 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.

In 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.

 

More on teeth chiselling: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/29/indonesia-teeth-chiseling-_n_855472.html

Japanese “Yeaba” fashion :http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/fashion/in-japan-a-trend-to-make-straight-teeth-crooked-noticed.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB

Tattoos, a Culture and Style

A culture most of the Western world is familiar with, tattoos have not so much become a symbol of beauty but more of a form of expression. Since tattoos come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and have no distinct stamping ground on the body, they have become popular among society because it implies uniqueness from the rest of the world. Despite the fact that probably a little less than half of middle age people have a tattoo, it is still considered unique and special to have this permanent stamp on your body. But it just goes to show, how much people are concerned with the appearance that they show the world. This is only the most recent motivation for the tattoo though. In older days, the tattoo was not the most glamorous thing to sport by the average person, it was mostly worn by sailors, gangsters, bikers as a sign of being part of a certain group of people. With time, it probably eventually evolved into an appealing mark of macho-ness for men, and simply became trendy for women and teenagers.

Harcore enough?

In some countries however, tattoos are a cultural mark where people will tattoo sometimes their entire face or body part as a sign of cultural pride and integrity. 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.

Even in Africa, where ink is not particularly visible on the skin, participate in the cultural trend. They 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. This cultural tradition is still practiced many places in Africa and once again, shows the lengths we will go for a little bit of sexual appeal.

New Zealand Maori tattoo traditions further explained: http://www.newzealand .com/travel/media/features/maori-culture/maori_ta-moko-significance_feature.cf m

Curvy, Thin, or Beautiful

The ideal waistline is another differing view of beauty. Though you could say the majority of the world may consider a slim figure more attractive and healthy looking, some parts of the world like Africa and Brazil see a voluptuous figure as a sign of fetching appeal. In Mauritania; Africa, where big is beautiful and reflects wealth and health to their generally poor population, there are such things as “fat camps” where young girls are sent by their parents to gain weight  to prepare them for marriage. Young girl as young as the age of 10 are force fed thousands of calories a day; more than the boys and way above the healthy normal amount of required food your body needs all for the purpose of attaining those voluptuous curves. In a less perturbing light, Latinas have always been recognized for their curvaceous looks. Brazilian women  traditionally thought as tanned, toned, and curvy regard a well-rounded shape otherwise known as the “guitar” shape as desirable.

The generally western hemispheres could not be more polar-opposites of these countries, idea wise. A thin, slender body is viewed as a healthy look and more appealing to people. But as the world has been aware of for a while now, this beauty ideal has been over-exaggerated by the media and have pressured women to have that fragile almost “beanpole” look projected by models in the fashion industry. This has led to the development of eating disorders, and an unhealthy way of living.

When thin is in..

Though appearance and social acceptance is important, you would think it should be equally important for people to be comfortable in their own skin and to live a healthy life. The world can be a beautiful place, up until the point where that beauty may controls and damage you.

“Fat camps” in Mauritania: http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/forcefeeding-in-mauritania

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3429903.stm

The Pink Hair Phenomenon

In the general “European/ American culture” you could say that beauty is a major controlling aspect of people’s lives, the media, the envied fabulous life of the rich and famous, trends and styles which propel consumerism. But in the fashion industry, beauty is a turning wheel, constantly adjusting and changing directions. People are constantly trying to come up with something different and new to catch the audiences eye, some styles have become popular and become part of societies’ norm but some have had their short time in the spotlight. Trends come and go, but this is a recent trend which has caught a lot of eyes and attention as well as my own.

The article about the model who changed the fashion world for the moment: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/03/charlotte-free-katy-perry-nicki-minaj-pink-hair-hits-fashion-world.html

The Lip Plate

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..

The plate is a usually a sacred object and dyed and decorated according to the wearers preference. Women are also shaved, like the men, because they hate hairiness.