Tanning beds, contour makeup and Kylie Jenner Lip Kits. These things may seem normal to anyone who lives in the United States, but chances are the cultural worship we provide these items and types of beauty aren’t necessarily shared with other ethnicities or countries outside of North America.

Although beauty comes in all different packages, these packages certainly vary around the world. Different cultures and ethnicities all have varied views of what “beautiful” means and each has their own standards for beauty. Strange, outlandish, exotic or whatever it may be, these are all beautiful, and these standards and trends truly define the originality of each culture.

United States

Artificial tanning, contour makeup and even in some extreme cases plastic surgery are all relatively normal beauty standards and trends in America.

“A beauty trend I’ve noticed is wearing enough makeup to make the face look completely different,” junior Elizabeth Taylor said. “It is not a look that I would wear, but I definitely support people who do. Makeup has become almost like an art form with everything people are doing with it, and who am I to say they shouldn’t wear it just because it’s not to my preference? I don’t think you can define beauty because it comes in so many different forms.”

While many would agree that makeup has become an expression of self and an art form, some believe that both women and men in the United States are held to too high of standards.

“‘I’ve noticed a lot of new makeup trends that have been going around, one of them being the major contouring that girls are doing,” freshman Jessica Nettgen said. “Personally I think it’s great for girls to express themselves through makeup, But once people are using makeup to cover up and change major things about themselves, then we start to see a problem that goes much deeper. Although change is being made, we still have a long way to go as far as changing the way us girls see ourselves.”

Thailand

A rather unheard of trend here in the United States, the elongation of the neck is a standard many women are held to in Thailand. As young as the age of two, women of the Kayan people begin to prime their necks in order to wear neck rings, which are basically tight necklaces with the purpose of stretching the neck. The neck rings push the collarbone and ribcage down and the weight of the rings twist the collarbone and ribs to create the illusion of a long, beautiful neck.

Ethiopia 

In certain tribes in Ethiopia, instead of getting tattoos, they practice scarification. During scarification, thorns and razors are used to carve intricate designs into the skin. After being cut into, the skin is then rubbed with sap or ash in order to raise the scars into bumps. While this may seem outlandish and extremely painful, getting the scars is shown as a sign of beauty in women and maturity in men.

Mauritania

In Mauritania, a small country in Western North Africa, women don’t strive for smaller magazine-type bodies as they do in America, in fact, in Mauritania, the bigger the more beautiful rings true. It’s not just the fact that big is also beautiful, but that being skinny is considered highly unattractive. Parents in Mauritania often send their daughters to fat camps where they are forced to eat up to 16,000 calories a day in order to gain weight and create stretch marks, which are considered a mark of beauty.

China

While in the United States men and women tan in tanning beds and get spray tans to keep a warm summery glow year-round, people in China admire pale skin. Being untouched by the harsh rays of the sun is seen as a sign of affluence in China, and women choose to cover up with a parasol or hat instead of basking in the sun. Many products in China or other Asian nations also offer many whitening skin products.

Iran

Just like in America, plastic surgery is also a popular trend for beauty overseas in Iran. In fact, Iran is the rhinoplasty capital of the world. Unlike the United States, though, plastic surgery in Iran is not a secret procedure that is meant to be hidden, but rather, it is boasted about. People in Iran often sport their surgical bandages in order to show off their social status and ability to receive vanity surgeries. Some who cannot afford plastic surgery will actually purchase fake surgical tape to give the illusion of a freshly finished face job.

While these beauty standards may be different from what people in America are used to, they show the diversity that brings true beauty to the planet.