Beauty regimes around the world...well...some parts of it

Last Friday, caught Oprah at 8pm since I can't perform my prayers so I sat in front of the TV instead while having dinner. The talk that night was very intriguing. It was about women beauty regimes from around the globe. I didn't sat from the beginning of the show. It's very fascinating how women would go to the extreme in the name of beauty. Like the Japanese women, who consume bird poop (I don't exactly recall what type of bird) to get beautiful and maintaining youthful skin. Would you eat birds poop for that?

How about women in I can't remember which country, where they put brass of necklaces around their neck and piling it up as they get older. As a result, they will have long neck and it is very essential within that country. A sign of pure beauty. Hmmm...then there's the Brazilian, where plastic surgery is nothing extravagant and it is seen as something usual in everyday life. Staying fit and keeping a good body size is a must for a Brazilian. If they are not able to obtain the desirable body shape or boobs or butts, then going under the knife is a must do. Sometimes well most of the times, they will spend half of their salary on making them look totally good. Imagine that! I, myself have problem buying a RM20 lotion. Huh!

Women in Oman, a country southern of Arabia, keeps it all traditional by using traditional stuff like miswak. They use it as a tooth brush. Dried petal roses for bathing to get good aroma and the rest I was not able to capture. Most of the women from different countries are trying to stay thin. From France to Indonesia and from the rest of the globe, keeping slim is every women dreams. However in Mauritania, it doesn't work this way. It's the other way around.

While many are trying to lose weight, women in Mauritania have to gain weight since the age of young. This is so that they have a high chance of getting married. Being chubby and rounded are seen as sexy and desirable there. Even having a cellulite too! If I were to shift off to Mauritania, I think they would force food down my throat because I look totally the opposite. Blame on my metabolism. XD. I don't think I can handle that. Still, there is a downside to living the Mauritania way. You will get health issues. Diabetes, high blood pressure etc. Not good.

There is another country that caught my attention. It is rather controversial because it involves an Islamic country. To my utter surprise, the women there being totally conservative, well some parts of the women there, are having their nose done. Yes, they are having nose jobs and it is very common there. How can someone, a Muslim do all this? Isn't it forbidden to change what was created for you? We are not even allowed to shape our eyebrows, let alone do a nose jobs or what ever that requires surgery. Unless under some certain condition, surgery is permissible like if your nose is cracked in half, maybe it's OK to have your nose done. Funny thing was that, if that women from that country couldn't afford it, they would put bandages on their nose as though they had the surgery and people would think she did. They would leave it on for like a year just so to have people think she had a surgery! So I guess having bandages on your nose is more pleasant than having to display your real nose! Funny humans.

Overall, beauty is subjective. Only the individual can interpret what beauty is. To whatever extent, we must always be thankful for what we have and for what we don't have. After all what we have is a loan from Allah, no matter how beautiful you are, or no matter how beautiful you are trying to be, it will sure go away. Life in this Dunya is only for a while. Then again, it doesn't mean you have to look frumpy and ugly! =)