It is no secret that Hollywood and the media like to present a very narrow perception of what the perfect woman should look like in the U.S. But is this the same story for everywhere in the world? To find out what people around the world thought the perfect female body looked like, Superdrug Online Doctors launched a project called Perceptions of Perfection. They sent the same picture of a woman to 18 graphic designers (18 women ) in 18 different countries and asked them to Photoshop that picture to look like their country’s ideal woman. The results were enlightening.
Original.
This is the photo that was sent to all 18 graphic designers for them to modify. You can see that the woman is a little larger than what would normally be considered ideal by U.S.A. media standards. She is a Caucasian woman with light skin, long brown hair, and a cute smile. There is nothing particularly unattractive about the woman and she is actually quite pretty and representative of a typical female.
1. Argentina.
In this photo, the woman is slimmed down from the original but she’s not thin to an unhealthy extent. Superdrug Online Doctors (in a chart they included with their study) estimated that the weight of the woman in this Argentina photoshop weighs about 127 pounds with a BMI of 21.1. Her skin tone was not changed too much, though it comes off looking just a bit more orange than the original.
2. China.
China took the image and made the woman almost unrecognizable. Her body is slimmed down and shrunk to almost anorexic proportions, in fact, that BMI is estimated to be 17 and the weight 103. To be fair Asian women are typically more petite than Caucasian women so it is a bit of an unfair comparison. In addition, the face was made to look much more Asian and the hair was darkened to match the black hair of a typical Chinese woman.
3. Columbia.
What is most striking about Colombia Photoshop is just how little is changed. The woman appears to be about the same weight and shape as in the original photo. The biggest change is to the hair which is lightened, made slightly longer, and given a pretty wave. The chart estimates the weight to be around 147 pounds and the BMI to be 24.5.
4. Egypt.
The changes to the Egypt photo are to be expected. Her skin tone is darkened to match that of the typical Egyptian woman. The hair color is darkened as well and made to be thicker with more of a wave. Her body proportions are changed a bit to give her a smaller waist and a bigger chest but still a healthy body overall. BMI is estimated to be 22 and the weight is 132 pounds.
5. Italy.
The first thing that is noticed about the Italy photo is that the body was completely replaced. The BMI is estimated to be around 18 with the weight at 108. Any BMI below 18.5 is considered to be an unhealthy weight so the perfect standard in Italy may be an unhealthy ideal. The other difference in the photo is the addition of more hair so that both sides of the face are framed with long brown locks.
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6. Mexico.
The Mexican photo had some expected changes to the hair and skin tone with both becoming darker to match the typical look of a Hispanic woman. The body was slimmed down a bit to have a weight of about 128 pounds and a BMI of 21.3. This is not an unhealthy weight and shows a figure that looks attractive.
7. the Netherlands.
The Netherlands photo has some fashion changes with the purple lingerie and the boots making some cute cultural changes. The skin tone is changed just a bit and the hair is turned to a striking orange. As with many of the other photos, the body is slimmed down a bit to an estimated weight of 127 pounds and a BMI of 21.1.
8. Peru.
Peru did many of the same changes that the other countries did in slimming down the figure, but it is still a much more reasonable weight than the others. The estimated weight is 141 pounds and a BMI of 23.5. Another change to the photo comes in the face where the eyes are made to be narrower and a bit more pointed. For the most part, the skin and hair stay about the same.
9. The Philippines.
The photo from the Philippines was slimmed down and the skin tone lightened. The estimated weight is 128 pounds and a 21.3 BMI. Her hair and face are kept very similar to the original photo. So the only real changes are the lightening and brightening of the skin and the slimming down of the figure. This is a little surprising since she looks more European than the average Filipino woman.
10. Romania.
The Romania photo looks very similar to the original. The only real change is to the figure and even then she is kept at a larger weight than most of the other photos. The estimated weight is 146 with a BMI of 24.3. The skin tone is left very similar and so is the hair. The face and expression are kept the same as well.
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11. Serbia.
The Serbia photo has some significant changes in almost all areas. The body is slimmed down to a weight of 135 pounds with a BMI of 22.5. The skin tone is lightened and the face is elongated. The expression is a bit different and the smile is changed a bit. The woman in the photo definitely has more of an Eastern European appearance than the original
12. South Africa.
The South African photo has a nearly identical face and hair. The skin tone is lightened and brightened a bit but is not a huge change from the original. The biggest change comes from the figure which is slimmed down to an estimated weight of 131 pounds and a BMI of 21.8. It is interesting to note that the South African ideal is Caucasian over African.
13. Spain.
For Spain, the changes are a little subtle in terms of skin tone. The body is slimmed a bit but it is the heaviest of all the photos with an estimated weight of 153 pounds with a BMI of 25.5. An interesting change to the photo was the narrowing/shrinking of the eyes. The hair and smile are kept the same as in the original photo.
14. Syria.
The Syrian photo is a bit surprising because of how European the photo looks. The body is slimmed down to a weight of 129 pounds and a BMI of 21.5. The skin is lightened and the face is elongated just a bit. The hair and expression are kept the same. This photo looks very different from the average Syrian woman which suggests an unattainable ideal for the typical woman in Syria.
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15. The United Kingdom.
As to be expected the photo from the United Kingdom is drastically slimmed down. The estimated weight is 126 pounds and a BMI of 21. The skin tone is lightened and brightened quite a bit to give her a paler appearance that fits with a United Kingdom standard. As with most of the other photos, the face and hair remain the same, with just small changes in terms of removing the bags under the eyes.
16. Ukraine.
The Ukraine image is slimmed down just like all the others but it is slimmed down drastically with an estimated weight of 120 pounds and a BMI of 20. Her skin tone is made much paler to match the typical skin tone of a woman in Ukraine. She is given much more hair in order to frame her face and the hair is given a reddish tint. Her eyes are narrowed a bit and her nails are painted to match the newly red lingerie.
17. The United States.
The United States is unique in that much more attention was paid to the face. The cheeks were changed, and the eyes are smiling were more defined. The body was slimmed down of course, but perhaps not as much as you would expect. The estimated weight of the Photoshopped woman is 128 pounds with a BMI of 21.3. The hair was darkened and more hair was added, as well as changes to the skin tone.
18. Venezuela.
The Venezuela picture has some big changes to make her look more like a typical Venezuelan woman. The long, thick, wavy black hair with a darker skin tone. She is slimmed down a bit but she still has a curvy figure with an estimated weight of 145 pounds and a BMI of 24.1. The breasts are kept large and plump while the waist is slimmed down a bit. The face is kept mostly the same.
