Although there are universal standards of beauty, the concept of beauty seems to vary from culture to culture. These differing global perceptions of beauty make the topic impossibly complex.
While we may deny it, all humans seem to have a preoccupation with external beauty and women from different cultures transform their appearances to conform to certain beauty ideals. But how do we judge what is beautiful? How do other cultures rate this beauty? And are media stereotypes changing the way beauty is seen around the world?
A gallery put together by US journalist Esther Honig gives us some insight into how beauty is measured and appreciated around the globe. She sent an untouched photograph of herself to 40 Photoshop designers from different countries, with the simple request: “Make me look beautiful.” The various responses show how beauty ideals reconfigure around the globe – from Morocco to Romania. See some of the stand-outs below:
