Many beauty standards in the world may seem unattainable. Women are constantly being told what is beautiful and what is not, while the actual definition differs vastly from country to country.
Perfect hair, hourglass figures, and luscious lips are valued in Western countries, while in Asia women with skinny bodies and small features are considered to be beautiful.
Women with blonde or fair hair, blue eyes and blush on the cheeks are considered beautiful in Russia.
Above: A participant in a costume festival at the Verkhotur Christmas Fair.
Above: A participant in a costume festival at the Verkhotur Christmas Fair.
Brazil is famous for considering female buttocks the sexiest part of women.
Above: Models take part in a promotion for the Miss Bumbum (buttocks) beauty pageant along Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Above: Models take part in a promotion for the Miss Bumbum (buttocks) beauty pageant along Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Masai women shave their heads and as much as possible by any means stretch their earlobes to become more attractive.
Above: A woman from the Masai tribe in traditional clothes near the village of Masai Mara in Kenya.
Above: A woman from the Masai tribe in traditional clothes near the village of Masai Mara in Kenya.
4/16
© AP Photo / Rebecca Blackwell
Mauritanian women with curves are considered the most attractive.
Above: A soldier stands guard as women wait in line to cast their vote for president, outside a polling station in central Nouakchott, Mauritania.
Above: A soldier stands guard as women wait in line to cast their vote for president, outside a polling station in central Nouakchott, Mauritania.
Women with crooked teeth and big eyes are considered beautiful in Japan.
Above: A laughing Japanese girl.
Above: A laughing Japanese girl.
Women with white skin and big eyes are considered beautiful in Vietnam.
Above: Vietnamese girls with a bicycle in a green field.
Above: Vietnamese girls with a bicycle in a green field.
Mursi women choose to wear a saucer lip plate.
Above: A woman from the Mursi tribe poses for a photo at the Mago National park near Jinka in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region.
Above: A woman from the Mursi tribe poses for a photo at the Mago National park near Jinka in Ethiopia's southern Omo Valley region.
A fertile unibrow on the bridge of the nose in girls is one of the signs of beauty in Tajikistan.
Above: Tajik girls in national costumes, residents of the Vakhsh Valley, Tajikistan.
Above: Tajik girls in national costumes, residents of the Vakhsh Valley, Tajikistan.
Women in Iran undergo nasal plastic surgery to look prettier.
Above: Iranian women attend an unveiling ceremony of a giant pot filled with five tons of chocolate ice cream, in the foothills of Tochal in northern Tehran.
Above: Iranian women attend an unveiling ceremony of a giant pot filled with five tons of chocolate ice cream, in the foothills of Tochal in northern Tehran.
For years Kayan women and girls have been driven across the border by poverty and conflict to pose in holidaymakers' pictures in purpose-built Thai villages, decried by campaigners as "human zoos" that exploit a vulnerable minority.
Above: A Kayan tribeswoman wearing a stack of bronze neck coils, the statuesque sign of beauty of her Kayan tribe, sells handmade products at Panpet village located in Demoso township in Kayah state, central Myanmar.
Above: A Kayan tribeswoman wearing a stack of bronze neck coils, the statuesque sign of beauty of her Kayan tribe, sells handmade products at Panpet village located in Demoso township in Kayah state, central Myanmar.
Women with scarred skin are considered beautiful in Africa.
Above: A young girl posing in French West Africa (AOF) in the 1930s. AOF was a federation created in 1895 of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, Niger, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Dahomey (now Benin).
Above: A young girl posing in French West Africa (AOF) in the 1930s. AOF was a federation created in 1895 of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, Niger, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and Dahomey (now Benin).
12/16
© Depositphotos.com / GaudiLab
Nordic beauty, girls with blue eyes, high cheekbones and blonde hair.
Above: Portrait of a wonderful female dressed in stylish trendy clothes posing with her vintage bicycle against beautiful flowers and green background with copy space area for your text message or content.
Above: Portrait of a wonderful female dressed in stylish trendy clothes posing with her vintage bicycle against beautiful flowers and green background with copy space area for your text message or content.
Natural beauty in France.
Above: Parisians near the theater "Bataclan", where one of a series of terrorist attacks occurred.
Above: Parisians near the theater "Bataclan", where one of a series of terrorist attacks occurred.
The perfect woman should have a V-shaped chin, double eyelids, large round eyes, a small nose and mouth and very light skin.
Above: A pedestrian walks past an advertisement for a plastic surgery clinic at a subway station in Seoul.
Above: A pedestrian walks past an advertisement for a plastic surgery clinic at a subway station in Seoul.
Tattooed lips and chin and blue lips are beautiful in New Zealand.
Above: A New Zealand Maori woman performs a traditional welcoming dance during the opening ceremony of the inaugural First Nations Economic Opportunities Conference in Sydney.
Above: A New Zealand Maori woman performs a traditional welcoming dance during the opening ceremony of the inaugural First Nations Economic Opportunities Conference in Sydney.
Doll-like women with big eyes and white skin are beautiful in China.
Above: A Chinese girl at the market.
Above: A Chinese girl at the market.
