Multi-Cultural Beauty
From the hourglass shape to the most exotic trends, the word beauty can drastically differentiate between different cultures. Often when individuals in the U.S. think about what true beauty is; this idea is molded by the media into features such as busty women and buff men. However, this word takes a different shape in cultures that are isolated from the U.S. media; some culture 's standards could even be considered exotic or extreme. For example, in China foot binding was a popular trend in standards and was considered beautiful. Additionally, places such as Thailand, Africa, and even Japan have these exotic standards which seem completely ordinary and casual to their cultures and sub-cultures. In essence, the ideals …show more content…
According to Katie Foote, There are small villages in Thailand that have women with long necks. These long neck women are known as Kayans, are an unusual sight to see to an outsider. Women walking around with long necks covered with gold rings, this is a very questionable standard for beauty in these small villages. According to Katie Foote, “The origin of the tradition mystifies even the Kayans. An ancient legend claims rings protected villagers from tiger attacks, since the cats attack victims at the neck. Another theory said the rings helped ward off men from rival tribes by lessening the women’s beauty. Today, people believe the opposite– the longer their neck, the more beautiful the woman—and Kayans wear the golden coils as an accessory.” While the origins of these rings are questionable, it is believed that these rings did serve a purpose. It is mentioned that these Kayans where these rings as an accessory, this is similar in a way to how the U.S. views jewelry as beautiful on a woman, the only difference being their rings are bigger. Katie Foote additionally mentioned that these Kayans wear these rings starting around when they are four years old and that they can weight up to 25 pounds. To an outsider, this can be viewed as painful and not worth it. The truth is that people in the U.S. would go through such things just to fit in the standards in place. The U.S. culture and Kayans cultures are similar and different, similar in a sense that fitting with standards is painful work, different because of the standards themselves. At first glance, this tourist attraction seems harmless to the village, but according to Katie Foote, “Unfortunately, the entry fee is rarely dispensed to the villagers directly. Instead, neck-ring-wearing-women sell trinkets, crafts and photo-ops, essentially working in a live-in gift shop.”
From the hourglass shape to the most exotic trends, the word beauty can drastically differentiate between different cultures. Often when individuals in the U.S. think about what true beauty is; this idea is molded by the media into features such as busty women and buff men. However, this word takes a different shape in cultures that are isolated from the U.S. media; some culture 's standards could even be considered exotic or extreme. For example, in China foot binding was a popular trend in standards and was considered beautiful. Additionally, places such as Thailand, Africa, and even Japan have these exotic standards which seem completely ordinary and casual to their cultures and sub-cultures. In essence, the ideals …show more content…
According to Katie Foote, There are small villages in Thailand that have women with long necks. These long neck women are known as Kayans, are an unusual sight to see to an outsider. Women walking around with long necks covered with gold rings, this is a very questionable standard for beauty in these small villages. According to Katie Foote, “The origin of the tradition mystifies even the Kayans. An ancient legend claims rings protected villagers from tiger attacks, since the cats attack victims at the neck. Another theory said the rings helped ward off men from rival tribes by lessening the women’s beauty. Today, people believe the opposite– the longer their neck, the more beautiful the woman—and Kayans wear the golden coils as an accessory.” While the origins of these rings are questionable, it is believed that these rings did serve a purpose. It is mentioned that these Kayans where these rings as an accessory, this is similar in a way to how the U.S. views jewelry as beautiful on a woman, the only difference being their rings are bigger. Katie Foote additionally mentioned that these Kayans wear these rings starting around when they are four years old and that they can weight up to 25 pounds. To an outsider, this can be viewed as painful and not worth it. The truth is that people in the U.S. would go through such things just to fit in the standards in place. The U.S. culture and Kayans cultures are similar and different, similar in a sense that fitting with standards is painful work, different because of the standards themselves. At first glance, this tourist attraction seems harmless to the village, but according to Katie Foote, “Unfortunately, the entry fee is rarely dispensed to the villagers directly. Instead, neck-ring-wearing-women sell trinkets, crafts and photo-ops, essentially working in a live-in gift shop.”