The World’s Definition of Beauty

The World’s definition of Beauty

Till this day it still bothers me why in the ethnic community that it is a compliment to be called something other then your nationality. Why is it in our society today many people want to look as though they are from another country?

I’m from a Sri Lankan background, people would approach me and say

‘Where you from?’

Naturally I will respond

‘Sri Lanka’

… and what’s response after that?

‘Wow, your Sri Lankan… you don’t look’

… Now this is when it gets really confusing, I’m sure whether I should say thank you or whether I should say ‘Why not?’

I’m not talking about having nationalistic pride rather I’m thinking more of the lines of us being people who we are and accepting our nationalities without concealing it.

Has it got to do with what we perceive as beauty? Let’s see what is defined as beauty in different cultures to get to root of this problem.

There are the subcontinents who want to become fairer, the south Asians wanting to have bigger eyes and some who take the hassle of wearing blue contacts and dying their hair with the dangerous peroxide to look like a vanilla chup chup…

I was searching through eBay and I was amazed to find that there was glue for sale; it’s actually to stick together the skin above your eyes and create the illusion of eyelids… :0

When I was holidaying in Sri Lanka I see that in every household everyone will own a fairness cream whether it would be out in the open or hidden deep inside the drawers. They would rather trade their golden coloured skin for a pale skin that looks like it seen a ghost.

To make it worse, the society embedded this idea to everyone even to little children! This little girl who I knew was only 1 years old and when her cousin was born she was slight fairer then her which made her fall into sadness. She would actually say “It’s not fair, I’m very dark” and try to attack her.

One funny story, back in my village there was this teenage boy who was nicknamed ‘soap boy’. His procedure of becoming fair were -

1. Buy expensive fairness soap.
2. Refrain from going outside during the day and come out only during evenings.
3. Slap a layer of white talc when going outside.

But I know that although everyone laughs at him, there are many who follow this routine.

I see something in common in all the cultures – Fair skin, fair hair, fair look?

Is it because everyone is trying to climb to the top of the ‘so called’ ladder and come as close as possible to the ultimate anglo look?

It would definitely be boring if we all had blonde hair, blue eyes etc…I reckon we should all embrace our features God gave us and be happy with it.

Thank god for fact that the children of Adam are diverse.

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