Different Definition Of Beauty?

[rainx]

Hi. Just wanna hear some opinions…

According to some documentary, there is a consensus about beauty of individuals of different races. I tend to agree with this, as I find Hollywood actors definitely more physically attractive than the rest of the American population. On the other hand, from what I see in Thailand, Westerners with Thai partners tend to be drawn to the Thais that are unattractive by Thai standard. When I see a young, pretty Caucasian woman with a skinny, dark-skinned, so ordinary-looking Thai guy, I wonder if the Western definition of beauty if different from the Thai counterpart. A British guy I worked with said Thai women are stunning. The Thai women that were pretty to him were, frankly, rather ugly to me. The women that I found pretty he found ordinary-looking. The bargirls around Sukhumvit look like they are from Isaan, and by Thai standard, Isaan is ugly.

To see what Thais in general consider beautiful, refer to Thai magazines, TV ads, and soap operas. Do you find Thai models and actors more physically attractive than most Thais are?

Just curious.

PS. From what you see on Thai magazines, Thais tend to have a fetish for half-blood—half-Thai, half-Caucasian, that is.

[JimmyTheMook]

PS. From what you see on Thai magazines, Thais tend to have a fetish for half-blood—half-Thai, half-Caucasian, that is.

Or as close as possible with a bridge in the nose.

I love all women but the Asian women I like are light skinned , just like my first Asian GF's back in NYC who where mostly Chinese or Japanese none were dark skinned like here in Thailand.

[Gimbo]

Do you find Thai models and actors more physically attractive than most Thais are?

Nope, I find their skin tone to be quite sickly looking actually, generally speaking. If I where shallow enough to rule out potential partners solely based on their skin color, and prefering a light skin tone, I would go for a healthy looking caucasian, over those TV stars. Fortunately I married the most beutiful woman on the planet. Isaan to the bone, and Khmer to boot!

[kat]

Hi. Just wanna hear some opinions…

According to some documentary, there is a consensus about beauty of individuals of different races. I tend to agree with this, as I find Hollywood actors definitely more physically attractive than the rest of the American population. On the other hand, from what I see in Thailand, Westerners with Thai partners tend to be drawn to the Thais that are unattractive by Thai standard. When I see a young, pretty Caucasian woman with a skinny, dark-skinned, so ordinary-looking Thai guy, I wonder if the Western definition of beauty if different from the Thai counterpart. A British guy I worked with said Thai women are stunning. The Thai women that were pretty to him were, frankly, rather ugly to me. The women that I found pretty he found ordinary-looking. The bargirls around Sukhumvit look like they are from Isaan, and by Thai standard, Isaan is ugly.

To see what Thais in general consider beautiful, refer to Thai magazines, TV ads, and soap operas. Do you find Thai models and actors more physically attractive than most Thais are?

Just curious.

PS. From what you see on Thai magazines, Thais tend to have a fetish for half-blood—half-Thai, half-Caucasian, that is.

Hi rainx:

From what I see in Thai magazines, and have experienced from living in Thai culture, Thais and in general Asian have a very narrow view of beauty compared to multi-cultural Western societies. The Asian and Thai definition seems to be the closer to pale the more beautiful, and even better as a person. I think the pale, half-white Thas are beautiful, as are the pale Asian women, but so are many brown-skinned beauties from Issan and Cambodia. I have seen very beautiful people in Cambodia.

I think Thais may find that out in the larger world apart from their specific universe, Thai beauty standards are not really considered the pinnacle the way they are in Thailand. Very pale, very, very skinny women are but one example of possible beauty, but not everyone in the world views pale, undernourished women with pre-adolescent bodies as the be-all-and-end-all in female beauty. It is such a hit in Thailand because it attracts the same kind of Western appreciation from a statistically significant source.

[LaoPo]

...... from what I see in Thailand, Westerners with Thai partners tend to be drawn to the Thais that are unattractive by Thai standard.

Where did you find that 'Thai standard' ?

LaoPo

[rainx]

...... from what I see in Thailand, Westerners with Thai partners tend to be drawn to the Thais that are unattractive by Thai standard.

Where did you find that 'Thai standard' ?

LaoPo

Is that a rhetorical question?

[rainx]

Fortunately I married the most beutiful woman on the planet. Isaan to the bone, and Khmer to boot!

Exactly what I was talking about. Your taste baffles me, though I am not crazy for ghost-white Thai models.

[intumult]

Light or dark skinned Thai does not really come into the equation for me.

Initially I look at the face and then the rest of the body. I want something I would be happy to wake up next to every day for the rest of my life. Fried eggs, melons and in between are all ok but it has to be the whole thing that has appeal. Flat, boyish ar*e is no good either. Gimme something with an apple curve

As for the Thai women I see portrayed in magazines, I do not recall one instance where i thought they are beautiful.

There are many Thai women I see who look more like merr chang that an elephant does. Not to my taste either but some like a large woman - just look at the BBW websites.

Beauty - as always - is in the eye of the beholder and if you prefer american actor types then that is fine. I would rather have a woman

[Gimbo]

Fortunately I married the most beutiful woman on the planet. Isaan to the bone, and Khmer to boot!

Exactly what I was talking about. Your taste baffles me, though I am not crazy for ghost-white Thai models.

Then I am curious to know why that baffles you. I am not Thai, so your presumed Thai "standard" obviously does not apply to me. Nor have you ever seen or met my wife I presume. So why would it baffle you that I fell in love with a beutiful woman? If the answer is purely that she is from isaan, then I am quite happy that I do not think like you actually.

[gbt71fa]

Hi. Just wanna hear some opinions…

According to some documentary, there is a consensus about beauty of individuals of different races. I tend to agree with this, as I find Hollywood actors definitely more physically attractive than the rest of the American population. On the other hand, from what I see in Thailand, Westerners with Thai partners tend to be drawn to the Thais that are unattractive by Thai standard. When I see a young, pretty Caucasian woman with a skinny, dark-skinned, so ordinary-looking Thai guy, I wonder if the Western definition of beauty if different from the Thai counterpart. A British guy I worked with said Thai women are stunning. The Thai women that were pretty to him were, frankly, rather ugly to me. The women that I found pretty he found ordinary-looking. The bargirls around Sukhumvit look like they are from Isaan, and by Thai standard, Isaan is ugly.

To see what Thais in general consider beautiful, refer to Thai magazines, TV ads, and soap operas. Do you find Thai models and actors more physically attractive than most Thais are?

Just curious.

PS. From what you see on Thai magazines, Thais tend to have a fetish for half-blood—half-Thai, half-Caucasian, that is.

My wife is beautiful to me because I love her...I didn't "choose" her because her skin tone. This is a loaded post and I don't know if it deserves a serious discussion or a 'boink' on the head....

[rainx]

Fortunately I married the most beutiful woman on the planet. Isaan to the bone, and Khmer to boot!

Exactly what I was talking about. Your taste baffles me, though I am not crazy for ghost-white Thai models.

Then I am curious to know why that baffles you. I am not Thai, so your presumed Thai "standard" obviously does not apply to me. Nor have you ever seen or met my wife I presume. So why would it baffle you that I fell in love with a beutiful woman? If the answer is purely that she is from isaan, then I am quite happy that I do not think like you actually.

Well, it is just that I interpreted ‘Isaan to the bone’ as ‘typical Isaan’, and the typical flat-nosed Isaan is not what I would call most beautiful on the planet. Who knows, your wife could be beautiful. Same way an American can be skinny although the majority of Americans are fat.

[Gimbo]

Fortunately I married the most beutiful woman on the planet. Isaan to the bone, and Khmer to boot!

Exactly what I was talking about. Your taste baffles me, though I am not crazy for ghost-white Thai models.

Then I am curious to know why that baffles you. I am not Thai, so your presumed Thai "standard" obviously does not apply to me. Nor have you ever seen or met my wife I presume. So why would it baffle you that I fell in love with a beutiful woman? If the answer is purely that she is from isaan, then I am quite happy that I do not think like you actually.

Well, it is just that I interpreted ‘Isaan to the bone’ as ‘typical Isaan’, and the typical flat-nosed Isaan is not what I would call most beautiful on the planet. Who knows, your wife could be beautiful. Same way an American can be skinny although the majority of Americans are fat.

Thats strange, becouse most Americans I have encountered have been quite normal looking. Me thinks you have some growing up to do.

[bina]

rainx i believe is thai (or mixed?) woman so she is asking from her perspective...

[endure]

Well, it is just that I interpreted ‘Isaan to the bone’ as ‘typical Isaan’, and the typical flat-nosed Isaan is not what I would call most beautiful on the planet. Who knows, your wife could be beautiful. Same way an American can be skinny although the majority of Americans are fat.

There are some of us (me included) who think that dark skins and flat/snub noses are hugely attractive.

[isabelle17]

Well.....lets put it this way. American women generally like to get tan. Asian women (most...at least in Thailand anyway) generally like to have white skin. You always want what you cant have!

I do find the dark skin attractive. But I also find the fairer skinned Thai's attractive too. But I have to admit, I probably do have a thing for the darker skinned Thais! Many thai women were amazed I decided to go out with a dark skinned thai man. They think hes ugly...but frankly, I think hes very handsome. On the other hand, I am sure that many westerners would be surprised to think that Thais think I am "suai" because really...pale skin, brown hair, blue eyes! B-oring! haha! But maybe thats the plus side of a foreigner dating a Thai? You always give each other compliments because you honestly think that they are beautiful/handsome.

However, of course, most of it should come down to personality, because in the end, thats what will keep you together.

[Gimbo]

Well, it is just that I interpreted ‘Isaan to the bone’ as ‘typical Isaan’, and the typical flat-nosed Isaan is not what I would call most beautiful on the planet. Who knows, your wife could be beautiful. Same way an American can be skinny although the majority of Americans are fat.

There are some of us (me included) who think that dark skins and flat/snub noses are hugely attractive.

Yup...cute as can be, as opposed to the huge beaks that many western woman have for a nose and want to get rid off, and many of their Asian sisters seem to desire to aquire...

And then you have the tan thing. Just go to a any sunny beach and you'll see heaps of westerners frying out there in the hope of aquiring a color resembling the beutiful brown skin tones of their Thai hosts.

Anyway, a see as many physically unatractive as I see atractive women up her in Isaan as I see in Bangkok. But then I am not regionally or ethnicly predjudised when it comes to taste in women. And I have found the woman I love and want to spend the remainder of my days with.

That said, back when I was dating, if the lady came from a big city, I had some reservations...as I did not want to get involved with a city girl. Not becosue I do not find city girls atractive, but becosue I want to live in the countryside, and myself I come from a very small town on an island. So having a partner that can cope with not having a beuty salon, nighclubs and shopping malls everywhere would make my life a lot easier.

[Aries74]

Well, it is just that I interpreted 'Isaan to the bone' as 'typical Isaan', and the typical flat-nosed Isaan is not what I would call most beautiful on the planet. Who knows, your wife could be beautiful. Same way an American can be skinny although the majority of Americans are fat.

There are some of us (me included) who think that dark skins and flat/snub noses are hugely attractive.

This is my opinion, farang women has a better body than asian. Yes Americans are fat, it comes with fries and coke.

If farang female is skinny, definately pick her over asian. Where are they in Thailand.

[LaoPo]

...... from what I see in Thailand, Westerners with Thai partners tend to be drawn to the Thais that are unattractive by Thai standard.

Where did you find that 'Thai standard' ?

LaoPo

Is that a rhetorical question?

No it was not, since it was a pure question.

So, I still don't have an answer....

But, your statement that there is a "Thai standard" (as an opinion by ALL Thai), is not factual.

There is no such thing as a Thai Standard or American, English, Australian or Italian standard.

What is considered as attractive (by Thai 'standards') on the countryside, could very well be considered non-attractive by an urban middle class society or vice versa.

But, in a way, I have to admit that I 'wondered' many many times by the choice of many farang, and that is an understatement, because the same farang would NEVER have chosen to be with the same type of partner in their homeland.

That has mainly to do with the in-experience of the farang coming to the Far East. They are simply not able -yet- to tell the difference between 'class' and 'non-class' and that has nothing, but nothing, to do with money but a lot with 'attractiveness'.

But, being attractive is no guarantee for a good relationship/marriage.

LaoPo

Edited March 10, 2008 by LaoPo

[rainman]

I think you sort of answered your own question (the OP).

There's no right or wrong answer. Everyone has a different definition of beautiful. Remember Hollywood stars look very different after all that make-up is gone. Some look beautiful and when it's gone they look extremely ugly. Same goes for some Thai stars.

[mssabai]

I do think that Thai's have a very narrow definition of beauty. Take nose jobs for instance - how many Thai women have them? And they are all on a quest for the exact same nose. A nose that I wouldn't even spend a minute of my time thinking about. I think due to the cultural mix up we have in the west, we do have a wider idea of what beauty is or can be. So many different hair colours, eye colours, body shapes, skin colours etc that it is impossible to stick to one perception of what is beautiful. I think Thailand could do with a dose of this as their thin lipped, tiny nosed, white skinned, dimpled soap stars do start to look a little clone like after a while.

I personally love the look of people from the south and often find southerners more attractive than Bangkok Thais. They are some extremely handsome / beautiful men and women down here but it angers me that they are never represented in the media as anyone's idea of beautiful. When I talk to girls down here about their boyfriends, they will wax lyrical about how handsome they are, but then will often apologetically add at the end "but he is very black". I find that really sad, although they will often laugh about it.

[endure]

...... from what I see in Thailand, Westerners with Thai partners tend to be drawn to the Thais that are unattractive by Thai standard.

Where did you find that 'Thai standard' ?

LaoPo

Is that a rhetorical question?

No it was not, since it was a pure question.

So, I still don't have an answer....

But, your statement that there is a "Thai standard" (as an opinion by ALL Thai), is not factual.

There is no such thing as a Thai Standard or American, English, Australian or Italian standard.

LaoPo

I thought American Standard made bath tubs?

[fruittbatt]

My wife is beautiful to me because I love her...I didn't "choose" her because her skin tone. This is a loaded post and I don't know if it deserves a serious discussion or a 'boink' on the head....

Precisely. To buy into a discussion of what is beautiful and what is not is bound to evoke racist and sexist responses. Beauty is so much more than the skin deep. I'd like to know what qualities of mind and spirit people find beautiful. Personally, I value generosity, curiosity, restraint, compassion. These are the forms of beauty I hope to attain before my physical body succumbs to age and death.

[suegha]

Nice post fruittbatt!

[wolf5370]

You only have to look at the adverts for face whitening cream and skin lightening therapy and, as said, the models in mags and stars on TV to see that the media at least 'think' that fairer skin is attractive. Its like this in many hot countries, India for example and in Turkey my blonde niece attracted everyones eye in the markets - little old ladies would stop to 'play' with her two year old hair and comment "beautiful". This isn't racist I think. Its more likely to be classist - poor people work in the open and in hot countries, this means they fair best with more melalin and thusare darker skinned.

In Victorian Britain and before, chunky women were the ideal - it was easy to be skinny, you didn't eat (because you had no money!). In poorer countries (also generally the hotter ones for some reason) it is more important (as it was historically in all our conutries) to mary up - therefore, look for the richer higher class people. It probably also has a lot to do now a days with the effort, money and genetic rarety of having lighter skin in Thailand.

Of course, before I get shot to pieces, this is historical - not all Istaan girls plant rice for a living. However, it takes a lot longer to get out of the physch of the country (and its customs).

Just my thoughts - feel free to rip to pieces

Edited March 12, 2008 by wolf5370

[0Mix1up]

Very pale, very, very skinny women are but one example of possible beauty, but not everyone in the world views pale, undernourished women with pre-adolescent bodies as the be-all-and-end-all in female beauty. It is such a hit in Thailand because it attracts the same kind of Western appreciation from a statistically significant source.

Hmm no it aint but why reference a small bodied (by western standards) adult asian girl as a child like?

[Spiny]

I my eyes, the vast majority of the artificial looking nose jobs that you see around Bangkok are extremly ugly (both in guys and women). Also the pale, sickly-looking sun derived skin looks unhealthy in Asian women. That's my opinion

The pressure from society, TV and advertising (the pale skin girl always gets the handsome guy, best job, best car etc) brainwashes so many Thai girls. The end result has very unfortunate results as they seem to willing to put all kinds of muck, dodgy untested, unregulated creams on their faces to try and achieve this ideal only to end up with mercury-induced skin burns, hypersensitivity to sunlight, premature wrinkling and other unfortunate side effects.

The success of the dark skinned supermodel from Isaan in the fashion houses of Europe, sorry, I forget her name, must really seem strange from a Thai perspective, and certainly implies that falangs have no taste as she is the antithesis of the Thai concept of feminine beauty.

Still I guess it help keep the human genetic pool viable with all the falangs breeding with all the unwanted dark-skinned beauties of Asian to produce stunning looking luk kreungs

[isabelle17]

I my eyes, the vast majority of the artificial looking nose jobs that you see around Bangkok are extremly ugly (both in guys and women). Also the pale, sickly-looking sun derived skin looks unhealthy in Asian women. That's my opinion

The pressure from society, TV and advertising (the pale skin girl always gets the handsome guy, best job, best car etc) brainwashes so many Thai girls. The end result has very unfortunate results as they seem to willing to put all kinds of muck, dodgy untested, unregulated creams on their faces to try and achieve this ideal only to end up with mercury-induced skin burns, hypersensitivity to sunlight, premature wrinkling and other unfortunate side effects.

The success of the dark skinned supermodel from Isaan in the fashion houses of Europe, sorry, I forget her name, must really seem strange from a Thai perspective, and certainly implies that falangs have no taste as she is the antithesis of the Thai concept of feminine beauty.

Still I guess it help keep the human genetic pool viable with all the falangs breeding with all the unwanted dark-skinned beauties of Asian to produce stunning looking luk kreungs

Same goes for the exact opposite. White women wanting to become these tan, exotic looking woman so they go to tanning salons, lay out in the sun and a lot end up getting skin cancer.

All around the world, theres also the pressure for women to be skinny (or lets just say anorexic.) No one is ever going to be completely satisfied with their looks. Everyone has flaws on the inside and out and its sickening to see the media lure these beautiful women (who should love themselves for who they are) into thinking they need to change the way they look because they are not good enough.

Personally, I think whatever looks natural, looks beautiful/handsome.

[micksterbs]

Exactly. My wife spent some time with me in England before I came over to settle. I showed her a tanning parlour in the town and I believe her jaw actually hit the pavement. My teenaged daughter came and stayed with us about a year ago and one day she and I visited my wife's college where she teaches. The students couldn't get over my daughter's fair skin and most of them wanted photos of themselves stood next to her, much to her embarassment! Even the other teachers would touch her cheek and say "beautiful" in a wistful way.

I suppose there are several factors at work here. In the West, historically, fair skin was desirable in the same way as it is here now, i.e. it showed that you weren't scraping a living from the soil, that you were above all that. Then, over time, the reverse became true. A tan portrayed its owner as someone who had leisure time, someone who had the money to travel abroad. But am I alone in regarding a tan, in the West, as being a little, well, infra dig? IMO, a tan says more about money than class. But here, I think it's probably both.

[mssabai]

There are so many examples of this worldwide. In Jamaica they have had a real problem with women taking tablets designed to plump up chickens. They are incredibly dangerous, but are taken by naturally skinny women in a bid to get the Caribbean curves. Skin bleaching is common in almost all countries where dark skin is prevalent. Many developing countries perceive white and fat to be beautiful as these were previously the preserves of the rich (although the thinner is better ideal seems to be catching up fast). In developed nations we seem to be sliding the other way - darker (although not too dark mind) and skinnier are the ideals.

Tanning booths give us cancer, stick thin models give teenagers unhealthy role models and CAN lead to eating disorders, or at least a low self body image. Bottom line is almost all beauty ideals are unrealistic or unobtainable. No woman, no matter how thin, how white/tanned (depended on the size of her countries GDP), how beautiful, is ever happy with their body. No one is perfect. Beauty comes from within but this will never be accepted by the media because this kind of beauty cannot be shown on billboards.

I think the people who have it hardest when it comes to feeling beautiful are the teenagers, who are still so uncomfortable in their own skin and are blasted on a daily basis with unrealistic ideals of beauty. The irony is that the rest of the world is usually trying their hardest to regain that teenage youthful glow! If you have a teenage daughter make sure you tell her everyday how beautiful she is because against the onslaught they are subjected too, it is often hard for them to feel that they are. For the rest of us, lets just laugh at those ideals, be healthy, happy and know that beauty is only skin deep.

[kat]

Very pale, very, very skinny women are but one example of possible beauty, but not everyone in the world views pale, undernourished women with pre-adolescent bodies as the be-all-and-end-all in female beauty. It is such a hit in Thailand because it attracts the same kind of Western appreciation from a statistically significant source.

Hmm no it aint but why reference a small bodied (by western standards) adult asian girl as a child like?

Because the name and topic of this thread is "Different Definition of Beauty" from both Asian and Western standards, and to dominant Western standards the unnatural pursuit of pre-adolescent and pubescent body types by many Asian women through diet and diet pills is not considered the ideal.