Women’s beauty standards have changed dramatically through the eras. Through the last century, the shift has been dramatic. The 1920’s saw the rectangular silhouette, and the 60’s, the ‘little swing girl’ trend. The 80’s saw the rise of the supermodel, and the obsession with long-legged beauty. The skinny obsession of the 1990’s soon gave way to the overly-tanned ‘plastic fantastic’ trend. Since 2000, natural beauty has rained supreme. We are lucky to live in a time when any woman, with any body-shape can be an image of beauty. You don’t need to be tall and slim to become a model, actress or the face of a brand. In fact, a unique or original look is much more appealing.
On the other hand, men’s beauty standards have not been as diverse as women’s. Only the statues of the ancient world and the Renaissance show the shapes of male figures. We can only imagine what was hidden under the armour of medieval knights, or under the variety of costumes men have donned over the centuries.
But what about now? What makes the ideal ‘Modern Man’? Is it his looks, his job title, or his personality? Or is it something else entirely? Nowadays, men look after themselves much more than 10 years ago. For the last few years, the market for men’s beauty products has increased by a staggering 70% worldwide. According to Avaj, a men’s luxury lifestyle retailer, men glance in the mirror 23 times a day, and women only 16 times. Males usually admire their favourite parts of the body, while females check their least favourite parts to make sure that they look okay.
David Zepeda
David Beckham
So what are the men’s beauty standards around the world? Let’s have a look at Great Britain first. Celebrities such as David Beckham and Jamie Dornan are known by some as the hottest men in the UK. Maybe this is why men’s facial hair and body tattoos are a top trend. The footballer’s body is considered the ideal male body, and grooming and ‘manscaping’ are also very popular in Britain.
It takes only one look at pictures of actor David Zepeda to understand the standards of men’s beauty in Mexico. Macho (Spanish for “male animal”) sums it up. Back in 2000, Mexican men took second place after Venezuela, to be crowned as the second most vain males in the world. In Mexico, plastic surgery among men is very popular particularly penis enlargement.
Turkish men are always on the list of the most handsome men on the planet and this year is no exception. In contrast to Mexican machos, Turkish men drive women crazy by being romantic, tender, supportive to their partner – and hairless! According to the science journal “Archives of Sexual Behaviour” Turkish women prefer men with a hairless chest. This ‘ideal man’ is portrayed in Turkish soap operas. Perhaps this is why they are so popular, with people across Turkey and the Middle East glued to them in their millions.
As the biggest film industry in the world, Bollywood has had a massive impact on Indian society in terms of beauty standards, family values, and traditions. India is the world’s largest market for male skincare products. In recent years, skin lightening creams have become popular among men, spurred on by endorsements from Bollywood actors and cricket players.
Rodrigo Santoro
Rodrigo Santoro, a Brazilian actor who played a modest and extremely good-looking guy in “Love Actually”) is perhaps the most internationally recognisable Brazilian, known for his great looks. Generally, Santoro’s look would be close to the perfect example of male beauty in Brazil. Fair straight hair, tanned skin, toned body and of course plastic surgery, is the epitome of handsome. Plastic surgery as an 18th birthday present is to many, completely normal. The popularity of plastic surgery, has seen Brazil surge into second place in the world, with 2 million procedures.
Despite all of this, women remain the biggest consumers in the cosmetic surgery market, 90 percent of all procedures. There are many reasons, deeper than a mere desire to look better, that make men and women go under the knife in their millions in drastic procedures, and its not 100% clear why. But after all, while there is nothing wrong with looking after yourself what matters the most is what is hidden behind the veneer.
Image via, and story inspired by Buzzfeed.
