Perceptions of beauty differ around the world Friday, February 03, 2012 By Mariane Ibrahim [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising The ideals of beauty differ from country to country. Not everyone around the world finds only women with a skinny body and long hair attractive. Senior Niambi Mayes said everyone has a personal opinion about beauty. “One way people see beauty around the world is slim, blond hair, blue eyes and long hair,” Mayes said. “What makes a man attractive is smooth skin, body structure, height and his smile.” Like Mayes, junior Andrew Johnson agrees that beauty is “what the eye perceives.” “My perception of beauty is Americanized, so I think other countries are weird,” Johnson said. People who are born in different countries also have different standards of beauty than the typical thin woman. “My perception of beauty is black hair, brown eyes, long hair, white teeth and a healthy person. In Algeria the standard beauty is the same,” math teacher Abdul Rennane, who is from Algeria, said. Rennane said that slim, healthy people with long hair are beautiful. Math teacher Issac Nashed is from Egypt. He said his perception of beauty is “average size, not too skinny or not too fat, about 5’7” or less or average height, but not 6 feet because that’s too much, long hair, soft sand-color skin, not big lips, and wide eyes.” Nashed said in Egypt the standard beauty is being average, not too big or too small. Freshman Emmanuel Kingsley said he prefers a female with a nice smile, nice eyes, curves, glasses and brown skin. However, in Kingsley’s country, Liberia, curvy features and soft skin are favored, but they focus more on personalities, according to Kingsley. Junior Celestine Mabeya, who was born in Kenya, said she would be attracted to someone who has a good smile, nice eyes, soft skin and lips, and who is fit. In Kenya, the ideal beauty is the same, but nice hair is a plus, according to Mabeya. Senior John Romero was born and raised in the United States. He said his ideal standard of beauty for a female is big lips, brown skin, skinny and proportional assets. Romero is half- Dominican; he said Dominican's ideals of beauty are “thick curvy girls, brown skin, huge lips and long hair.” History teacher Hans Winberg, who was born and raised in the U.S., said his ideals of beauty are Americanized. He prefers eyes and smiles that emit good personalities, and women who are fit and trim. “Respect is also attractive. Taller more than shorter,” Winberg said. “I am oblivious to color; I like long wavy hair.” Several students interviewed by The Student Voice agreed that there is a standard of beauty, but they go with their own personal preference. “No one pays attention to [the standard] because everyone has their own ideas of beauty,” senior Crystal Rodriguez said.

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