Beauty is an abstract concept, and each nation has its own idea of it. Some features of appearance may seem quite unusual to us, but they are considered indicators of beauty by the locals.
- Women of himba tribe
Women of the himba tribe, which lives on the territory of Namibia, are considered the standard of beauty in Africa. In traditional himba culture, hairstyle, skin color, and jewelry are of great importance. Due to the lack of water, girls take smoky baths every day as hygiene procedures, and to make them more attractive, they put a special mask on their body and hair. It consists of cow’s milk, clay, oils and aromatic herbs. This compound is also used as a scrub and sunscreen.
2. Sami
The ancient indigenous people of Karelia, the Sami, are about 5 thousand years old. The Scandinavians called it lappar, and it was from this word that the name Lapland came. The women of this people have a peculiar appearance, as it combines both European and Mongoloid features. As a rule, Saami women have light hair, rather short stature, slightly bent knees, a face with a large forehead and wide-set, slightly slanted eyes.
3. Women of Maharashtra (India)
An Indian woman is always easy to identify in a crowd by her soft brown skin, blue-black hair, graceful plastic and, of course, expressive eyes. To make the look even brighter, women use natural eyeliner called “Kohl” (antimony). This product also stimulates the growth of eyelashes and protects the cornea from bright sunlight.
Another distinctive feature of women in India is considered a nose piercing — Nath. This is not just an ornament, but an integral part of Indian culture and religion. As a rule, a girl gets a piercing when she reaches physical maturity. This means that she now has the right to marry. Usually the left nostril is pierced: Ayurvedic medicine connects this place with the female reproductive organs.
4. Ugandans
In Uganda, as in many African countries, curvy women are valued. Moreover, the local Ministry of tourism last year even decided to hold a beauty contest “Miss Lush Uganda”. By the way, such a pronounced lower back in African women is due to a special type of carrying infants: mothers tie babies to their backs and support them with the lumbar region. To make the baby comfortable, you have to bend a little. This is how the African figure is formed.
5. Balinese
Characteristic features of the inhabitants of the island of Bali are considered to be a high bust of impeccable shape and excellent posture. This figure is achieved thanks to daily physical activity: Indonesian women are used to carrying any weight on their head, supporting it with their hands, so that the necessary muscles are constantly in good shape. In addition, many local girls have excellent plasticity, as they learn to dance from childhood.
6. Maasai women
Women of the ancient Maasai tribe living in Tanzania and Kenya have preserved many original traditions. For example, all girls at an early age are pierced ears, and then stretch the lobes with various weights — heavy beads or fragments of animal horns. It is believed that the longer the earlobe, the more beautiful a woman is. Also, representatives of the tribe often cut their hair short or even shave their head to appear even more attractive.
7. Yemenis
In Yemen, women rarely show their faces. As a rule, they are covered with thick clothing on the street — only their eyes are visible. Therefore, an expressive look is a characteristic feature of local girls.
Depending on the region of residence, the appearance of women also changes. In the North, Yemenis have lighter skin and eyes. Some even boast blonde hair, which is not typical for Arab women. But the South Yemenis are dark-skinned, short, with dark eyes. By the way, in the appearance of local women, you can see the features of African and Indian women, as well as Turkish and Bedouin women.
8. Afar women
The afar tribe of Ethiopia also tries to preserve its traditional culture. Women pay special attention to hairstyles. Usually they braid a lot of fancy braids and put them in all sorts of ways or put on the head of jewelry made of beads. Often, local fashionistas make special ritual tattoos on their faces, which indicate their ancestral identity and status.
9. Women from Nepal
Although Nepal is adjacent to India, Nepalese women differ in appearance from their neighbors. First, they have a slightly different eye shape, as well as lighter skin. Traditionally, the female figure is valued roundness in General and the presence of a belly. The younger generation already ignores these standards, but older women like to emphasize this part of the body. Sometimes they even specially wrap shawls and shawls around their waists to make the belly more prominent.
10. Women of the ne-Perce native American nation
This small native American people live on a reservation in Idaho. The name nez percé comes from the French phrase “pierced nose”, from which it can be concluded that many women and men of this people have long worn amulets in their noses. Local fashionistas also love jewelry made of shells, beads, fur and stones. In General, the women of this North American tribe are famous for their natural beauty: “cat” eyes, dark smooth skin, thick eyebrows and long dark hair.
11. Women of the Mursi tribe
One of the features of the appearance of women of the Mursi tribe, which lives at the junction of the borders of South Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya, is considered to be breast plates. These plates are found only in women and only on the lower lip. As a rule, the procedure is performed before the wedding, in 15-18 years. Disks can be made of wood or clay. For a long time it was believed that they prevent evil spirits from entering a woman. In addition, it is a symbol of femininity and beauty, so the larger the girl’s lip, the better she will marry and the more cattle the groom’s family will give as a “ransom”. Of course, today some women of the tribe abandon the traditions, but many still observe this ritual.
12. Bolivians
Bolivian women conquer not only with their sincere smiles, but also with very colorful outfits. Even in ordinary life, many local women wear traditional clothing — bowler hats, which are popularly called “Bombin”, multi-layered poller skirts and shoulder capes called “manta”. And, as a rule, women of fashion prefer clothes of bright colors and ornaments.
Also, a real Bolivian woman can be calculated by her hairstyle. Usually women weave long thick braids. Often, ornaments made of fur or beads are tied to the ends of the braids.
13. Tuareg women
The Tuareg are a Berber people living in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Algeria, and Libya. Representatives of the Tuareg are distinguished by a rather dark skin tone and an expressive look.
On the street, women cover their heads with a special headdress, but they don’t have to hide their faces. The Tuareg are the only people in the world who have a custom for a man, not a woman, to cover his face so that only his eyes are visible
14. Javanese people
Like many residents of hot countries, Indonesian women appreciate light skin, so they carefully hide from the sun and whiten their face. To hide from the sun, girls wear stoles, jackets and gloves even in the hottest weather.
Javanese women also pay special attention to their skin. Local brides perform a special procedure before the wedding — Lulur, to completely clean and renew the skin. Previously, Lulur was made for 40 days before the wedding, but now brides are limited to 7 days.
15. Women Of Tibet
Tibetan women are famous not only for their natural beauty, but also for their health. Tibetan medicine is known all over the world, and it helps local beauties maintain white teeth, healthy hair and smooth skin. Also, local girls try to regularly do facial massage, which improves blood supply and prevents the appearance of wrinkles.
Accessories are worthy of special mention. They are usually made of gold, silver, and stones. Often jewelry is worn as amulets, the most powerful of which are considered to be JI beads. They are made from agate and chalcedony.
16. Bushmen
The Bushmen are a small group of hunting tribes in South Africa. The Bushmen is distinguished by a characteristic reddish skin tone, as well as low growth — up to 150 cm. Traditionally, girls decorate themselves with necklaces made of ostrich egg shells or beads, bracelets made of grass, colored seeds and seeds of plants.
Also, many women wear a special headdress in the form of a bandage that opens the top of the head. According to local customs, it is important to show others your hairstyle, which is created by shaving. At the same time, it is customary to leave several strands on the top of the head.
17. Eskimo
The women of this Northern people are usually of short stature and rather fragile build. They are distinguished by a special rounded oval face with wide cheekbones and a “Northern” section of the eyes. The real pride of Eskimos is their very dark, straight and very thick hair.
In the traditional costume of women, there is always fur and characteristic eskimo patterns and ornaments.
