The definition of beauty depends on the individual! Even though it originated a long time ago, the adage still holds true today. People find different things interesting in different countries around the world, and you might be surprised by some of them.
We mean interesting because you'll be so surprised you might need to look twice. Here is a list we've compiled for you to check out!
Crooked Teeth – Japan
The majority of Westerners really value straight pearly whites when it comes to their smile. Those who don't have this feature often don't smile as much because they don't want to show others.
However, the Japanese approach to teeth is a bit different. It is actually thought that people who have crooked teeth look cuter. Westerners are increasingly embracing this change.
Body Scarification – West Africa
Scars are not universally accepted as being beautiful, and we understand your perspective. Most places in the world see them as ugly, but New Guineans and some African tribes consider them beautiful.
The beauty quotient of these scarifications is exclusively attributed to females in these tribes. In men, scarifications symbolize strength and warrior status.
Heart-Shaped Face – South Korea
Many countries in the world place a lot of value on looks, which makes cosmetic surgery more popular there. South Korea is one country where you can often see advertisements for cosmetic procedures.
There is one procedure that is designed to help the women achieve an attribute considered to be a true sign of beauty. It is the heart-shaped face which only requires a little cosmetic surgery on the chin to achieve.
Extra Weight – Mauritania
Throughout the world, people put a lot of importance on their body image. People who are a bit overweight often feel self-conscious as it's not necessarily considered attractive in most countries. There is still a known struggle in this area, despite slight changes.
There is an exception, however, for women in Mauritania. Women with extra weight there are viewed by men as being far more attractive than those without.
Surgical Dressing – Iran
It's not uncommon to want to get a little work done on your nose, no matter where you live. If it's too big or too small or just doesn't look right, you may want to change it. Several people are looking to make adjustments.
Iranians are very familiar with this procedure, but it is also very expensive. Straight noses are deemed beautiful in this country, so many women and men undergo plastic surgery.
Pale Skin – China
Some countries in the world view pale skin as a sign of beauty, such as China, which many in the Western world feel is contrary to the desire to have a golden tan.
There are many beauty products sold within this country that contain bleaching agents to achieve paler skin. It is also common for Chinese people to stay out of the sun or wear masks to achieve a certain skin tone.
High Forehead – Africa
According to your culture, different body parts are considered attractive. In Africa, Fula tribe members may desire high foreheads.
In order to create a higher forehead, some of these tribal women remove parts of their hair. Our quest for beauty is quite astonishing when you think about the lengths we go to to achieve it.
Long Necks – Burma
Women's necks are among the most attractive parts of their bodies in many countries around the world. In most cases, you don't have to do anything to these places aside from maybe lifting your hair.
There is an exception, however, in Eastern Burma. It is common practice for the women of the Kayan tribe there to actively stretch out their necks. This is achieved through the use of a brass ring necklace that elongates the neck. That's painful!
Red Skin – Africa
A physical attribute people find attractive is their skin tone, which is not surprising. Some cultures prefer dark complexions, while others prefer lighter complexions, but there is a tribe in Africa that prefers red complexions.
To protect themselves from sun rays, Namibian Himba tribes use an ochre-and-fat mixture. The combination of these two elements results in the tribe's skin turning red, and they consider this to be one of their most beautiful characteristics.
Unibrows – Tajikistan
In most places in the Western world, if you walked around with a unibrow, you would be mocked or at the very least stared at. This is because it is not very beautiful in these areas to go ungroomed in this way. But that isn’t the case everywhere.
In Tajikistan, the unibrow is actually a sign of beauty for both the male and the female. So much so that even if a young girl doesn’t have one, she will pencil it in.
Stretched Earlobes – Africa
Most of the world agrees that a woman who has pierced ears and can don beautiful jewelry is very attractive. But there are some parts of the world where the practice of wearing heavy jewelry and stretching your earlobes out is considered beautiful.
In fact, members of the Masai tribe purposely stretch out their ear lobes over time. This is seen as a status symbol for the women of the tribe and because of this, everybody pays attention to how long their ears are.
Shaved Heads – Africa
Most people, when they think of beautiful women, think of long luscious locks that flow down their back. However, some cultures believe quite the opposite.
In some parts of Africa, it is thought that women with shaved heads are much more attractive than those with long hair or braids. So, as we’re starting to realize, beauty standards are very different depending on where you are situated.
Face Tattoo – New Zealand
The Mallory tribe of New Zealand are well known for their love of the tattoo. Every tattoo is different and meant to give honor to their ancestral heritage.
The Mallory tribe of New Zealand are well known for their love of the tattoo. Every tattoo is different and meant to give honor to their ancestral heritage.
Henna Tattoos – India
There are a lot of beauty trends in India, and one of these is henna tattoos. These special tattoos are applied to make themselves look more interesting, especially when it comes to big occasions like weddings or holidays.
Women will put them on their hands and feet to accentuate their beauty, but these tattoos are also an expression that is looked at as being very spiritual too. Do you see the beauty in henna art?
Body Hair – France
We find this hard to believe, but there are some places in the world that actually feel that being natural in any way is more attractive than not. For some, this means letting some of the hair on their body grow out.
Though we’re not so sure that this trend is quite as popular as it used to be, there are still some that feel they don’t need to shave as much as others.
Double Eyelids – South Korea
We know that this physical attribute may sound like something that belongs to a science fiction alien character or something but this is actually something that in South Korea is believed to help you look more beautiful.
So, in order to achieve double eyelids, there is a specific surgery available there, or you can simply use eyelid tape to make this happen. What it does is widen the eyes, which many people there feel is a sign of beauty.
Chalk Body Covering – Africa
Make-up is basically a form of body painting. Though for most of the world, the only place that it belongs is on the face. This is not the case when it comes to the body painting of the Caro tribe in Ethiopia.
The people of this tribe use white chalk to create spider motifs all over the body. This body painting is deemed a mark of beauty among both men and women.
Extraocular Implant – Netherlands
Many people in the world believe that one of the features that they find the most attractive is their significant other’s eyes. This may be why in the Netherlands extraocular implants are seen as such a symbol of beauty.
To do this, the person goes under a small surgical procedure that implants a piece of molded platinum in a specific shape that they have chosen into their eye. It sounds a little scary but the end result is pretty cool.
Sharp Teeth – Indonesia
A great smile is always attractive, but that great smile actually depends on where you’re from. It might be straight and white or, in the case of tribes in Indonesia, sharp and pointy.
There are some tribes in Indonesia who file their teeth into sharp points and this for them is a mark of beauty. The procedure to achieve this is actually is quite painful, but even still, women rush to get it done so they can attract a mate.
Cheek Piercing – Thailand
In the Western world, it is very common nowadays to get dimple piercings. These are one thing, but in Thailand, they go a step further with the cheek piercing.
Cheek piercing in Thailand is not only looked at as a beauty attribute but also is a sign of religious devotion. Both men and women execute this beauty trend, and when it comes to the size of the piercing, that can vary from very small to very large.
Nose Plug – India
It is common knowledge that there is a wide range of beauty techniques that are carried out in India. One of these also offers an interesting take on physical attributes and what can be deemed as beautiful.
In the Apatani tribe in India, the women sport traditional nose plugs. These are plugs that are inserted in the nose like a gauge. It is an important aspect of their culture. As you can tell from the photo, the plugs also extend the size of their nostrils.
Gum Tattoo – Africa
Many cultures across the globe believe that tattoos are a sign of beauty as well as status and power. Typically these tattoos are on areas that you can see at all times, but in Senegal, the women have a unique place that they like to get tattooed.
Senegalese women go through a process of gum tattooing because they feel that this makes their smiles not only unique but beautiful. Each to their own, right?
Lotus Feet – China
Feet size is not typically something that many people think of when they think of physically attractive attributes. That is unless you live in rural China, in which the tradition of footbinding is still seen as an important beauty routine.
This process is painful and takes quite a bit of time. Footbinding basically breaks the woman’s feet down into a small form. This then makes them into lotus feet.
Minimal Makeup – France
In the Western world, you rarely find a culture that wants women to embrace unconventional beauty. For the most part, women in these countries tend to try to emulate what they see in the media which in turn makes many look alike.
In France, however, they are different, and they love to embrace an alternative idea of what beauty can be. This gives these women a little bit more liberation and a lot more room to play things up or down. So, minimal makeup is actually admired here.
Fake Tan – USA
Unlike many of the Asian countries, when you head to the West, particularly in the United States, having pale skin isn’t always thought of as being beautiful. That is why so many people sit out in the sun or head over to the tanning salon.
Even though this puts them at risk for health concerns, it is still not a deterrent as most people feel that having tan skin is a physical attribute that is very appealing.
Big Bottom – USA
In the United States, there is a lot of emphases put on body image. Women often feel pressure to keep up with the beauty trends of the time as they are also constantly changing.
One of the hottest body image trends going now is having what some might call the ‘hip-hop booty.’ This means that the woman has a tiny waist but a large posterior, like the hourglass shape. This is a shape that is also endorsed by celebrities like the Kardashians.
Big Eyes – Asia
When you look at someone and decide whether or not you are attracted to them, often the first place you’ll look at is their eyes. This is where the saying of how “the eyes are the window to the soul” came from.
In Japan and many other Asian countries, this may be why one of the beauty attributes that get the most attention is having big eyes. Of course, not everybody has that so sometimes people go under the knife to achieve this look.
Turmeric Face – India
If you are into health and beauty, then you probably have heard about the wondrous spice called turmeric. In Indian holistic healing as well as in beauty products across the globe, turmeric is touted as one of the best beauty treatments there is.
It might seem strange to rub this yellow spice on your face, but it does have a lot of great attributes. It will, however, stain your skin a bit. Yet interestingly enough, this yellowish tint in some places is looked at as a sign of beauty.
Facial Piercing – USA
The crowd you hang out with may also determine what physical attributes are seen as cool or deemed beautiful. There is a large population of people in the United States that are into alternative ideas of beauty.
For some, one of the most attractive physical attributes is body piercing, in particular facial piercings. While some find that less is more works better with this, others are excessive and want to have piercings all over their body.