Beauty Standards in Scandinavia - Tall, slim, elegant

[Anonymous]

Beauty standards may be different. In some countries.

When I saw this video, first thing I said was "so what about Norway, Sweden or Denmark" as a scandinavian culture lover. So I made a little research about beauty standards in Scandinavia. I know some Swedish and with help of google translate, I read some threads in forums.

here is some:
https://www.familjeliv.se/forum/thread/76402942-skonhetsideal-i-sverige

https://www.familjeliv.se/forum/thread/75028166-ytlig-trad-har-men-hur-ser-er-dromtjejdromkvinna-ut/3

https://www.flashback.org/t2515014

Here is what Scandinavian guys think attractive in woman.

TALLER THE BETTER

Height considered attractive in Sweden because it is sign of healthy childhood, better genes and beauty.

Most teenagers go biking or swimming, take care of their diet and sleeping to grow taller. There is no "short guy discrimination" in Scandinavia because guys also care height of woman as woman do in US. Men dont like such height difference, as you read first link, men prefer their woman maximum 3" shorter.

As you see here, there are some girls whining about height preference of men.

https://www.familjeliv.se/forum/thread/76328226-varfor-svensk-man-tror-korta-petite-kvinnor-ar-osexist

(why guys think petite woman are unattractive)

https://www.familjeliv.se/forum/thread/76384403-varfor-killar-foredrar-langa-kvinnor-over-korta-kvinnor

(why guys prefer tall woman)

Short woman considered unattractive in Sweden, in general.

https://www.flashback.org/t2293705

(aren't short girls really unattractive)

Average height of woman in Sweden is 5"6, guys preferred range is 5"9-6"1. I am 5"10, then I can be calm. :P

SLIM / FIT

Healthy and elegant is sexy.

Swedes in general are rather slim, and want to stay slim, so I suppose that this is a widely accepted norm for good looks - and for health of course. Lots of people go to gyms. Both anorexia and overweight is turnoff. Ideal BMI is 22, so ideal weight depends on height.

[Rawrzz]

Gods, I fear the day when America changes its standard of beauty to beached whales. Already 35% of adults are obese, and 70% of Americans are overweight. I really wonder what's going to happen when it hits 98%. Suddenly 400 pound hippo models on every corner with advertisements like " 'Curvy' is sexy."

Hmm. Yes. I think Scandinavia might be a good refuge if Trump or Hillary get elected. Except I'm 5'11, so if there are a bunch of tall chicks, that might be not-ideal. Though, I think I'd agree with the 3 inch height difference.

Putting Scandinavia on the list. Denmark. Denmark would be great. I do have Danish blood, after all. Makes sense.

[myTake Owner]

Hmm. They dont say 3" is good, they say 3" is maximum height difference. :D so ideal is around their height. and of course she can be taller than the man.

[Rawrzz]

Oh shizz. I could do my height. But taller would not be cool. 3" shorter would be my ideal preference, but I've dated and enjoyed dating chicks that were 9-11 inches shorter than me. Hmm. That's an interesting culture difference. So much for moving to Denmark. -.-;; Wait! If I dig short chicks, and the natives dig tall chicks, that frees up some competition. Denmark it is!

[myTake Owner]

yeah :D I am sure in denmark, there is very super attractive short girls didn't picked up because of their height you should go! :D

[Rawrzz]

I may, I may. In any case, so long as they aren't all giants, I'd be good.

[myTake Owner]

There is a rumor that all under 170 is trash for them, so all beautifull girls under 170 is yours :D

[Rawrzz]

... All? mrwgifs. com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fry-Eye-Twitching-Watery-Mouth-While-Freaking-Out-On-Futurama. gif

All, you say. Hmm. Well. Ahh, looks like average female height in Sweden would be 173, but Denmark is 180. But even then, both are shorter than me. Denmark it is! :D Although, I find it hard to believe that they would just disregard any super attractive females under 170. But hey. Advantage.

[Rawrzz]

Aww, man. My awesome gif. :*( I have to try again. All? All you say? mrwgifs. com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fry-Eye-Twitching-Watery-Mouth-While-Freaking-Out-On-Futurama. gif

[Rawrzz]

QQ
QQ
QQ

[myTake Owner]

Average is 168 :D

[lumos]

As someone who actually lives in Finland, reading this was very odd.
"Most teenagers go biking or swimming, take care of their diet and sleeping to grow taller"
Ehm. Lol. I don't think Scandinavian teens are much healthier than teens elsewhere. You'll have those who are healthy, and those who aren't. "Most" is an exaggeration. Also I've never met a guy, from Finland/Sweden/Norway/Denmark who'd make a huge deal out of height. Some care more than others of course but I've never noticed a big difference between US standards and Scandinavian standards.

[myTake Owner]

Of course, they are ones who care less. :) but I read the links and it seems most care. It is weird, in US very few guy have height requirement. :/

[lumos]

A few posts on a forum hardly represent what the majority of people in Scandinavia think.

[myTake Owner]

Hmm. you live in Scandinavia and I belive you. I saw some girls at forum who claim that they have rejected because of height, but I think shallow people are everywhere. Here in US, some guys reject fat girls but some dont care. (:

[redeyemindtricks]

I thought Finland wasn't part of "Scandinavia"?

I had a Finnish roommate 20 years ago (when I was living in Italy), and she would get very visibly annoyed when people would include her country in "Scandinavia".
She said "Scandinavia" was strictly Norway, Sweden and Iceland. Although "the Nordic countries" included Finland (along with Denmark).

Was she wrong? / Has this changed?

[lumos]

@redeyemindtricks a lot of people consider Finland to be a part of Scandinavia inofficially, haha. Some people use it interchangeably with the nordic countries.

[myTake Owner]

Finland is not a part pf scandinavian.
Scandinavian countries + Finland = Nordic Countries

[lumos]

Like I said, a lot of people consider Finland to be a part of Scandinavia inofficially.

[LolliesChan]

Well since most people in Finland have the same roots/genes as people in their sister country Sweden we would be around the same heights. We also have really similar cultures. So I wouldn't exclude Finland too fast out of this convo. I studied abroad for half a year in America (Texas) and I came there thinking we were just as lazy, it turned out to be somewhat of a yay/nay thought. They had more extremes, you were either or. But a lot of the life style was connected to the fact that it is more common to take the car everywhere and also the access to unhealthy foods. We do walk, bike etc a lot more in the Nordic countries than they do in the US. I do not know about the sleep one. But I think it's mostly genes and standards. It also depends on which Scandinavian/Nordic country we are speaking about since Sweden has a very big niche with healthy stuff and working out atm.

[user-2016]

I dont think that height is as important as people make it look. I dont think that a man would EVER turn down a woman because her hight.
There are so many things that are much more important in a womans physique than her height.
What really attracts someone is the FACE, BODY PROPORTIONS (and of course, personality).
So you can be either short or tall, you have the the same chances to date or to be considerated attractive, regardless of country.
And one more thing, the way you wrote this my take or whatever is this, is very immature and quite harsh. Things like:
-why guys think petite woman are unattractive
-why guys think petite woman are unattractive
-Short woman considered unattractive in Sweden, in general.
-aren't short girls really unattractive
are just really silly. I understand this is your personal opinion or what you read about it but you have try to research more, those forums aren't really that relevant, get better arguments and try to formulate your opinions in a way that it won't look so discriminating next time ;).
Disclaimer: I am not petite (im 5ft5) and this is not a response to your question because I feel offended or anything, this are just some thoughts that you all shoud bare in mind when you write or read things like that.

[myTake Owner]

Hey. Thank you for your opinion.
I didn't want to be offensive and mean. These were translation. They started a thread as "arent short girls really unattractive." I mean, I dont share same opinion with them. If I were a guy, I would think both Mila Kunis and Megan Fox are attractive. Height is not directly in my list. But every culture have their own beauty standards and we have to respect that. In US, chubby/fat woman considered less attractive, but in Middle East, fat woman considered attractive. Beauty is not directly biological, it is also cultural.

[redeyemindtricks]

Guys have rejected me for being too tall. It happens.

[myTake Owner]

@redeyemindtricks As I said, it is cultural. In US, there is a norm as woman should be smaller, man should be bigger.

[lordofnecklace]

@redeyemindtricks hahaha funny. I dont understand this. Actually I think short people are annoying.

[redeyemindtricks]

@lordofnecklace I mean, granted, I am REALLY tall. I am 6'2" (188 cm) barefoot, and I almost always wear heels, so, I'm standing more than 2m off the ground. A lot of boys have been... unable to handle that. A couple of them have even told me right to my face, too. Lol.

I personally don't care about height at all. My husband is a little under 5'11" (about 180cm), I've had boyfriends as short as 5'7" (170 cm), and I've messed around with boys even shorter than that.

[lordofnecklace]

@redeyemindtricks @redeyemindtricks Are you serious? your height is super cool, tall girls are sexiest thing in the World! I am 183, I would like to date with a girl as tall as you if she is ok with dating a shorter guy. Since we are one of tallest countries, tall guys (+185) complains that there is not such tall girl for themselves. I mean, In US, tall guys can find tall girls in taller countries but we dont have such option. +180 girls are like unicorns, we adooore them.

[paulina_g]

I live in Sweden and that's not what our preferences are like at all, at least not from what I've observed in the many years I've lived here... I wouldn't say we're different from any other western country in terms of beauty standards. The one thing that's correct is that we're very health conscious so obviously, that means working out and eating healthy. But what we aim for is a healthy weight and definitely not as skinny as the girl in the picture. As for the height thing, it's so not true for everyone. Maybe for some people who posted in the forums you read but they don't represent the whole population. I'd say they're a minority. Just like any other nation everyone has their own preference. I personally like tall guys but that's true for a lott of girls. As for the guys, they don't seem to care about the girl's height as long as she's attractive. I'm 5'5 and trust me, I've never had problems finding a guy. I usually go for guys who are 6'1 and above too so yeah... Plus, a lot of swedish men like Asian women and they tend to be shorter than the average height of 5'6. So there goes your argument... It's very individual, just like any other country :)

[myTake Owner]

hmm 5'5 I can say that it sounds average, not short. I make this mytake from post in forums and some guys came and approve it but I dont know. Can I ask you something, what height considered tall or short for female?

[paulina_g]

Yeah, I guess my height is pretty average but my point is that most guys don't care either way as long as they're attracted to the girl. I think tall for a girl would be 5'7 and above. That's how tall you have to be to become a model If I remember correctly. 5'9 would be ideal though because that usually gives you better proportions. Haha I'm so jealous of girls with the typical model bodies sometimes, they have such long legs...

[oracle12c]

I am not sure how it is in Sweden but here in Denmark, most men don't care about a girls hight - in fact we (Danish men) prefer to be taller than our girl friend.

As long as she is not taller than me, I am fine. I do find it awkward if the girl is literately taller than me.

[myTake Owner]

hmm.. so is there any too short for you? I mean, are you ok with a girl 7'-8'' shorter than you? :D

[oracle12c]

She have to abnormally short for it to be a turn off, like midget short.

[myTake Owner]

below 4"11? :D
(150cm in metric)

[oracle12c]

This is midget size, I am 185cm so 150cm is really pushing it, so I'll say below is really a no go for me.

[myTake Owner]

but you are ok with 160? I think 25cm dfference if too much. :/

[myTake Owner]

yout girlfriend must be around 180 so all over 175 is good for you :D (untill 185)

[lordofnecklace]

As a swedish guy, I can approve. Good research.
Personally, I would rather slim than chubby, curves are good but feminists and us have different definition of curvy. Muscles can be turn on, I like trained bodies. :)
Taller than 175cm. Since I am 183, I dont want her to look like my daughter near me. If she is very special girl, I can be go down till 170 but I think it is extreme case.
I like brunettes, but blond is good too :) I am not picky about hair or eye color. :)

[myTake Owner]

I think curvy is this:
36.media.tumblr.com/...ma7g12KB4P1qivd1ao1_500.jpg
or this:
33.media.tumblr.com/.../...e_n5wn7eKzuT1syc3dy.jpg

I am brunett by the way. :D

[lordofnecklace]

yes this type is ok, maybe more thinner. i dont like extra fat on girl.

[myTake Owner]

what about height? :D

[lordofnecklace]

Tall, no doubt. We think short people are annoying. All over 175cm is good for a woman. :) Your height is good.

[Sophiaaaaaa]

I'm not some short chubbier girl hating (Im 5'7 - 5'8 with a bmi of 20, so I guess I 'made' the standard) but short girls can also be sexy and beautiful, I think young Olivia Hussey was the most stunning girl ever, and she was 5'2. Not to mention Emilia Clarke. but that's just my opinion (it was well written)

[Negrodamuss]

i generally don't care about how tall or short the girl is. It's kind of a arbitrary/silly thing for me to judge attractiveness by. Only reason why people seem to care about it so much is because they are overly-concerned of how they look to other people

[myTake Owner]

Yeah. :D Scandinavian people are overly-concerned of appearence. Even Scarlett Johansson would fail :D (she is 5'3)

[dominiquois]

Your height has NOTHING to do with your health. You can't control your height.

Yeah, they seem to really like that type there:
viewmanagement.com/.../...o_465558380_697x1000.jpg
:)

[dominiquois]

Scandinavian woman can be stunning.

[Anonymous]

Swedish male. This generally holds true. So cheers for that.
I think the ideal height for me on a girl would be about 173 cm.
I personally am a very average heighth at 182cm.

I think you might have stretched things a little, we're generally not against shorter girls at all. Swedish people on average are very fit though, and quite good looking (which isn't about me blowing my own horn). Take a trip to Stockholm and you will quickly find that to be true ^^.

[myTake Owner]

When I translate comments in https://www.flashback.org/t2293705 this thread, it seems most guys seem to against short girls. So, of course being tall is advantage but i think there are some who dont care it? :D

[Opinion Owner]

On the contrary, browsing the first page of that thread I think there's more love for short girls than tall ones. But taller is usually better here. That I won't argue with. A single night out will make it clear enough. I guess you'd fit right in!

[myTake Owner]

" But taller is usually better here. "
really? :D it seems scandinavians seem to love tall more than short. :D

[myTake Owner]

Why?

[Opinion Owner]

I am trying to wrap my head around how it could not be better, haha.
It is sexier, usually leads to more flattering proportions and definitely delivers more of a striking beauty than a short girl normally would. It is the difference between being mesmerized by someone or wanting to pat them on the head.

[myTake Owner]

haaaha luclyly i am not shot :P what is "short" in sweden? :D

[DianaWest]

does it matter how tall you are if you are ugly or average? most people i've seen are nothing to gaze at in wonderment.

[TadCurious]

Girls are getting taller with each new generation it seems. It's a beautiful thing. Tall girls have a very special look.

[myTake Owner]

In US, guys thing girls must be significantly shorter than man. I guess Scandinavians dont agree with them :D

[BeeNee]

That's not actually true. US height for men and women alike has plateaued and leveled off for a bit more than half a century now. Today tall women, 5'8 and above only make up 5% of the US population as compared to 70% of women of petite stature, 4'11 to 5'4. Height increases only tend to occur in a generation when access to medical care, pre-natal and lifelong is superb, and diets are healthy, and disease rates are kept at bay typically as compared to a previous generation, say one that has been through a harsh famine, war, or disease outbreak. But even beyond that, short parents will genetically have short kids, and tall parents will genetically have tall kids, there isn't really a way around that.

[myTake Owner]

@BeeNee which one is dominant?

[BeeNee]

in regards to?

[myTake Owner]

@BeeNee genetically.

[BeeNee]

If you have a parent who is 6'2 and another who is 6'1 vs. a set of parents who are 5'0 and 5'2 respectively, the first set are going to have tall kids bearing good health, lack of disease, and good nutrition vs. the 5 footers.

[Chief16]

Well, that's great, seeing how the average height in Scandinavian countries for men is 6'1 and for women I think is 5'7. There's still a significant difference. Even there, I think 6' height is a rarity for women.

[myTake Owner]

In Stockholm, I think the average is between 5'7-5'8. 6'+ is quite rare, but I think 6'3 guy wants a 6'+ woman. Most swedes want to be same height as woman (dont get bothered while girl wear heels and become taller)

[Chief16]

Oh, I see...

[Spiorad_Aisce]

Video is very interesting - I would have expected more countries to go slimmer but there has been a move towards curvier past few years. The Scandinavian thoughts/ideals are pretty much as I expected them to be

[myTake Owner]

what about Ireland? :D curvy/slim/tall/short? :D

[Spiorad_Aisce]

You actually have me there I don't know - It would probably be close to the US and UK model because we are so heavily influenced by them - My own preference is tall and slim (small chest and ass) but I doubt that is most common preference - I did a google and the answer for US and UK were very close a mid range girl with a curvy hourglass body.

[myTake Owner]

tall slim is most common preference in UK? :D or short-mid with hourglass?

[Spiorad_Aisce]

The site I looked at only had weight and BMI - Around 126 lbs and BMI of 21 - From the pics I would say mid curvy hourglass

[myTake Owner]

hmm :D
most feminists agains stockholm unrealistic beauty standards. :D

[Spiorad_Aisce]

I can understand that - It is very perfectionist but on flip side, it is very healthy - I wouldn't be as hardcore on the dimensions but I would applaud the desire for healthiness that prevails in Scandinavia - I don't care if a girl is 110 lbs or a 180 lbs, if she is healthy you can't argue with that.

[myTake Owner]

Weight, yes it is healthy and right to be perfectionist.
Height: wtf! but it is advantage for me :D

[QooLipBite]

I don't know, personally I would never be comfortable with dating a girl that's taller than me.

It's weird and awkward 😂

However if you mean't women that are 5'7 are tall, then it's chilled 😂

[myTake Owner]

I am 5'10, I would date with a guy shorter than me, no problem. I dont understand why people think about height.. In US care if girl is taller specturum. In Sweden, it is reversed, i think.

[vnmcissanenow]

How tall are you?

[Starfishlover]

I really don't give a shit if some nobody doesn't like how I look because I'm 5 foot 1. Because height is such a great indicator for how a human being is.

[myTake Owner]

yes. If he does not like you because of your height, he does not worth your time. :)

[xXiTacoXx]

Dang no love for us short chicks. I guess if I was single and lived in Sweden my short 5'1" toosh would be forever alone. </3

[myTake Owner]

wrong, in US, petite women have more guys. :)
and if any guy think you are too short for them, they dont worth your time ;)

[ZackSmashed]

no not really I live in Sweden I'm 5'1 heights not a big deal at all for me and not the guys I've met either

[ZackSmashed]

thats a quote from a girl that I know that lives in Sweden so yeah @IsabellaCarlos
but I'm a guy but I'm only 5'7I live in the states tho in LA but I'm only 16 so I haven't grown done yet so

[IsabellaCarlos]

@ZackSmashed yeah thanks for using my quotes lol but yeah it's not that big of deal people are acting as if it is but I live here and promise me I have no problem with dating I'm kinda curvy (not fat) and many guys seems to like me so there shouldn't be any problem at all with dating + every guy has their own preference so I don't think that people can generalize and say that they prefer that. I think it's maybe cause there are many women that are tall but their also short people

[SirenDep]

In Scandinavian countries, most people are tall though

[myTake Owner]

as 5'10 i am even taler than their average, and it seems they adore tall slender woman :D

[kahokohino]

cause they're also tall slender men. makes sense.

[myTake Owner]

@kahokohino yeah :D

[LolliesChan]

Average is around 5'4" - 5'7" for girls. It is more common to be tall in Scandinavia (Sweden) but it is not average. Most guys like shorter girls still. I know a lot of guys who like their girls to be tiny in compared to them. Body shaming is not that common tho, it happens, but I don't see it as much anymore.

[littlegirlturk]

Sorry Swedes, your standards are too high for me :P

[myTake Owner]

Do you think? Actually not, only they want is tall and slim. :D

[littlegirlturk]

I am slim but not tall enough for their standards :D

[myTake Owner]

shorter than 5'7?

[littlegirlturk]

5'3 lol :D

[myTake Owner]

DANG.
dont worry, US love short girls :D

[littlegirlturk]

Im Turkish :D

[frozenhorizon]

The girl in that last pic probably has a bmi of like 18, just saying.

[myTake Owner]

maybe.. :D slightly lower bmi is better for scandinavians but more than 17 so all between 17-25 is good.

[frozenhorizon]

Hmm what about for males? I feel like I would be more attractive to scandinavians and other northern europeans than americans, seems like americans like more big strong masculine country kinds of dudes. lol. My BMI is like 19 but I have no fat and I'm 180 cm. And I am not really masculine but also not really dorky/nerdy or feminine either. But I mean does the healthy, slim weight with tall body proportions thing apply to men there too?

[frozenhorizon]

I mean 180 cm is average but I think I have a "tall" looking figure because of being skinny anyway.

[abundantlyrich]

What is the fascination with those guys? Are you trying to get with a swede?

[myTake Owner]

it seems swedes like my body type :D

[abundantlyrich]

Kim k body?

[myTake Owner]

no, tall slender

[John_Doesnt]

Not my type at all. I prefer short hourglass figure. Big boobs and big booty for me.

[myTake Owner]

Scandinavians have different tastes :D

[Anonymous]

Wish i stayed there im 5'8 and feel like an unattractive giant.

[myTake Owner]

In Sweden, you are little short for ideal but still in safe zone :D