From the recent popularity of my other myTake, Beautiful Women From Around the World: Atlas of Beauty, I have decided to do a take on men around the world, and the standards of physical appearance that society holds for them in foreign countries.
When I was looking for a similar project about men, I couldn't find one. I guess nobody has even thought of doing one for men yet. I found that sad how men aren't taken as seriously when it comes to insecurities.
The concern for men and their body image has been growing in massive numbers. While women still hold the record for negative body image, the amount of men coming forward to admit feeling negative about their bodies has been growing at an alarming rate.
The pressure and concern trying to confirm to these "ideals" that supposedly make a man physically attractive, thanks to the media, are starting to affect men everywhere, especially young boys. In recent years, the consumption of male beauty projects has increased almost 70%. In Asia, men's skin care has become a recent trend.
To put it simply, men, at least to the general public, are starting to be more aware to how they look and how that affects their perception and self image, and it ignites a vast amount of controversial topics.
To put this to the test, Buzzfeed had conducted an independent study to learn the ideals of other countries.
Here are some handsome men from around the world...
1. United States of America
According to surveys, the American ideal male body type has a broad, muscular upper body, including shoulders, biceps, and pectoral muscles. “V-shaped” describes this body type. A recent study from San Francisco State University had found that while women struggle with media pressure to be thin, men face media pressure to be muscular.
2. Mexico
Being "macho” is a crucial aspect of Mexican masculinity. Studies have found that men who identify with traditional Mexican culture value more “macho” behavior.
3. Brazil
There is a large divide between the rich and the poor in Brazil. Lighter men are considered to be more attractive and valued than darker-skinned men, and having straight, fair hair is part of their ideal of beauty. "Germanic features" combined with tan skin are thought of as an important aspect of Brazil’s ideal image of beauty in both men and women.
4. South Africa
Despite South Africa's largely black population, white men are heavily represented in the media. This is do to the fact that white individuals hold more power in the country.
5. Nigeria
Traditional Nigerian culture values sturdiness and strength as the male body ideal. Important elements of masculinity in Nigerian culture include physical strength, bravery, protectiveness, assertiveness, virility, and lack of emotion. Male music stars are idolized by teens.
6. Turkey
Traditional masculinity is beginning to lean to more passionate, romantic, and sensitive men as leads in soap operas. According to a study published in the science journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, Turkish women prefer men mostly hairless men.
7. Italy
Italy takes male fashion seriously. Italian men are keen to wearing well-tailored suits and expensive clothing. Styles like loafers without socks and pocket squares vastly popular. Graphic tees are not in, as they are not considered fashionable. Italian men in general are not afraid to wear color, even colors that are universally feminine, like pinks and purples. Italian men accustomed to grooming, including shaping their eyebrows. “Sprezzatura," which means to have an air of studied nonchalance, is considered very attractive.
8. United Kingdom
In recent years, British masculinity has evolved from the recent division between metrosexuals and lads. Metrosexuals cared deeply about grooming and appearance, while lads were rowdy adolescent types. The new British man in the media age cares about health and culture. Tattoos are also very popular, with 1 in 5 men having at least one. "Manscaping", like in Italy, has also took a rise in popularity.
9. India
Contemporary Hindu masculinity, even in direct relation to what is shown in cinema, is designed to heighten an Indian men’s confidence but also assert their power over others. Skin lightening creams are growing in popularity in the male beauty market and are even being endorsed by major Bollywood stars and cricket players.
10. South Korea
K-pop is heavily influential on Korean ideals, which mix hard, muscular bodies with soft features that are highly styled. Plastic surgery is also becoming a hit with Korean men. K-pop stars often wear trendy clothing and makeup. South Korea spent $635 million on men’s skin care in 2013. Features they are looking for with plastic surgery include bigger eyes, double eyelids, and a more pronounced nose with a high bridge.
11. Philippines
Contemporary Filipino masculinity is a result of mixing domestic attitudes with those of Spanish and U.S. colonization. In traditional Filipino masculinity, important qualities are supporting the family, sexual virility, and being in control. Influence for ideal looks and style traditionally came from the country’s Spanish and American ties but is now becoming influenced by Korean pop culture.
12. Australia
According to various studies, when Australian men wish to look different, they wish to be bigger, muscular, and thinner. The six most popular plastic surgeries for Australian males are nose jobs, eyelid lifts, penile enlargements, ear corrections, face-lifts, and liposuction. As of 2012, the average adult Australian man was about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 189 pounds.
Which beauty standard did you find to be the most bogus? Men, do you fit into any of these ideals? Do you love yourself, hate yourself? Do you want to change anything about yourself? Are you content with your body? We want to know.
All that I know is that it's not just women who feel insecure and try to confirm to society's standards of attractiveness. We all have these insecurities, and gender will not change that at all. Some days we feel like the worst thing to walk the planet, and we strive to change our flaws in order to fit in. What I think is that we should start supporting each other, man or woman.
But regardless, women just love men. <3
Thanks for reading this take. This is also another filler take for future takes that I plan on posting soon. I hope you enjoyed and I hope that this has sparked some discussion on male ideals. :)
For more outrageous facts on male body image, check out the original article here.
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