Beauty Standards in Japan

**Small disclaimer: The contents of this post are based on opinions, conversations and observations, not pure fact. It is also not intended as a critique of either Western or Japanese beauty standards or to imply that all Japanese people agree with these standards. Beauty is highly subjective and differs from person to person! With that being said I hope you enjoy this post!**

"Beauty is subjective"...that's what everyone always says.. but there are also standards of beauty and in every society there is a convention and an ideal of beauty that most people tend to (consciously or subconsciously) adhere to. The beauty standards of the Western world (of which many of us have been brought up with) although very predominant worldwide are not the only beauty standards in the world. The beauty standards in the East can sometimes be the polar opposite of those in the West and Japan is no exception! Here’s a look at some of the standards and beauty trends that are prevalent in Japan, some of which may be considered unusual compared to Western standards!

Flawless Skin

This isn’t a very unusual beauty standard and is actually common in pretty much any society, I mean beautiful clear skin has been coveted for centuries now! In Japan, however, it is desired so much that there is a plethora of products catering to the "flawless skin is best" ideal, some of which can get pretty pricey and some of which are a little unconventional(bird dropping facial anyone?!) I have even heard of men listing clear skin as an attribute they look for in a potential partner. As far as products go one of my personal favourite skincare products is the famous face sheet masks! Not only are there a variety to choose from (including things like placenta?!) you can also buy character or animal themed masks which are pretty fun!

Crooked Teeth (Tsuke Yaeba)

Now this one was pretty weird for me since I’ve grown up thinking your teeth should ideally be perfectly straight (or close enough) and should emulate that perfect Hollywood smile! I've also never heard of anyone in the UK wanting crooked teeth! In Japan some people consider crooked teeth or "fangs" to be cute and youthful since typically teenagers have crooked teeth (this reason is kind of messed up in my opinion). Since it's considered cute many people prefer not to have their teeth fixed (which is fine) and others go to the extreme of having "fangs" surgically implanted to create the look of imperfect teeth!!!

Double Eyelids/Big Eyes

This is something that I guess has travelled over from western beauty ( although I wouldn’t really consider it a beauty standard in the west since double eyelids are commonly inherited genetically). Since magazine covers and Hollywood stars are typically western it means that  Many Japanese girls/women seem to prefer double eyelids and want big eyes as it's "better for eye makeup" and "cuter". There is such a big market for double eyelid products that you can buy double eyelid tape pretty much anywhere! There are also contact lenses to make your pupils appear bigger or  eye widening devices..

“Tall”/ “High” noses

In Japan what we in the West may consider as “big” noses are often seen as desirable and some people actually dislike small noses! There’s a phrase called “Takai Hana” which literally means tall nose and it’s something I’ve heard be given as a compliment to foreigners and also wished for by Japanese people. Whilst people in the UK, US etc. are having nose jobs to reduce the size of their nose, in Japan some are having surgery to make their nose essentially bigger (I guess they would say taller)! Now I must note I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with bigger or smaller noses but it is interesting how the standard of beauty considering noses is the complete opposite here!

“Anime” Blush

If you’ve ever watched anime or even seen an anime character you probably know about the bright pink circles or stripes of blush that feature directly under the eyes of characters when they are “blushing”. This look seems to have transcended into the regular world as I’ve seen many girls sporting bright pink lines (yes lines) of blush right under their eyes! I believe this kind of blush look is meant to convey youth and cuteness, but to be honest I'm not entirely sure why anyone does this look, but hey that's why beauty is subjective, everyone has different opinions!

Pale Skin

The final beauty ideal I’m going to include is pale skin. This is something that I believe stems from the bigger, chaotic, worldwide belief that lighter is "better", whilst also stemming from the historical theory that dark skin meant you worked outside and thus were poorer. Although this may not consciously be the reason why many desire pale skin it is something that is ingrained at a societal level. To avoid getting tanned skin many women wear gloves/arm sleeves and carry parasols in the summer(note sometimes this is to protect from sun damage and not because they want to be pale), and controversially many face creams/moisturisers actually contain whitening agents to lighten the skin. To counter this though there are some Japanese people who prefer to be more tanned (some taking it to the extreme with sun beds/fake tan and ending up rivalling the cast of TOWIE for worst fake tans)!