Thin Yadanr, tmy24@uakron.edu
Culture and beauty are intricately woven together, reflecting the values, traditions, aesthetics of its society through its arts and rituals. Each culture has its own concept of beauty and aspects that make them unique. In western societies beauty is mostly defined by an hourglass figure despite our efforts to push for body positivity. But in other parts of the world, not having a skinny hourglass figure is a sign of beauty as it shows your wealth and class status. In some Asian cultures, it is a flawless and fair skin that defines beauty. Young kids are told to not go out in the sun too often as their skin will not be as fair and even in the markets, things like sunscreen and skin care products are heavily pushed on to this generation. In most cultures, beauty standards are closely tied to the idea of marriage and to make a woman more appealing. The pressure to find a husband from parents are stemmed in traditions and negatively impact the self esteem of young girls who strive to fit into societal expectations. We see the famous phrase “beauty is pain” being used often when we look at the way these traditions are practiced. In China, foot binding, where girls' feet are wrapped tightly with a cloth to alter the shape and size is a symbol of beauty and prestige.
In Myanmar or Thailand, specifically the subgroup of Padaung people, there are rings around their necks that can look uncomfortable but are an illusion to make their necks longer. They start wearing these neck rings as a very young girl (4 or 5) and add more rings as they get used to the weight. It represents wealth and status for these young girls and most are shown to be excited to follow this practice. Neck rings aren’t just a part of this culture but is even seen in different parts of the world like Africa.
In Ethiopian culture or tribes of the Mursi, Chai, and Tirma, there is a tradition of lip stretching or lip plates that is seen as beautiful. The Mursi people have intricate designs on their plates as it carved by local artists using only the materials in their surrounding environments. In this culture, it’s important to note that both boys and girls can choose to follow this aesthetic as it is a sign of social adulthood. They are often also associated with fertility, a rite of passage, commitment, and social status. Some describe it as a the bridge between biological and social identity.
Some of these beauty standards have stayed the same and kept as tradition in most cultures, however, some do advance with society and are no longer practiced in modern times. It’s important to remember that although there are things that we can’t imagine doing to ourselves, it is still a piece of culture and we must stay mindful through cultural relativism. There is a fine line between cultural practice and beauty standards that often collide but beauty is defined differently everywhere and it is interesting to think about!
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