Beauty is a very subjective thing. What one person may deem beautiful could be seen as something entirely different to another person. Given these differences, if we attempted to define beauty as something objective we'd have problems.
People feel the constant need to change their appearance in order to be "beautiful," and this goes so far that it actually damages people both mentally and physically. Recently, a UK-based online doctor service asked graphic designers from around the world to Photoshop the picture below to reflect their country's "ideal man."
1. The Original, Unaltered Photo
What they wanted to see was what appearance was deemed attractive in other countries. In their own words, they said: "Our own research found that 40% of men in the UK felt pressure from television and magazines to have a ‘perfect’ body and this has negative effects on how they view themselves and others."
The resulting photos from this experiment are extremely interesting.
2. Australia
Apparently, Down Under they didn't feel the need to touch up the photo too much. Just a slight trim of the waistline and jawline, and a hint of a tan turned the original into Australia's Mr. Wonderful.
3. Bangladesh
According to their Photoshopper, the perfect gentleman in Bangladesh sports a slightly heavier beard and a bit more body hair. His torso gets a modest makeover, too. He's not what you'd call fit, but not pudgy or soft, either.
4. China
China introduces a bit of muscle, giving the man of the hour some definition in the shoulders and taking some of the bulk off the legs and the trunk. He has clearly lost some weight in his face, too.
5. Colombia
In Colombia, we're back to a man of leisure rather than labor. He's not as weighty as the original, but he's still solid. If anything, he looks a bit younger, with fewer lines in his face and a defiant look in his eye.
6. Egypt
Finally, Egypt's Photoshopper breaks out the six-pack tool and defines the model's abs and pecs — although the definition isn't matched in the arms or legs. Still, given the neck-to-head ratio, it looks as if Egyptians like a beefy dude.
7. Indonesia
Conservative Indonesia's Photoshopper didn't chisel the model quite so much, preferring to simply trim him down and give him a slight hourglass feature between his armpits and his waist. Other than that, he looks like a pretty average fellow.
8. Nigeria
It's funny how much the faces change among these images, isn't it? Obviously the Nigerian Photoshopper appreciates a husky fellow, but he's also the first who looks like he might laugh any time soon.
9. Pakistan
It's also fascinating to see where the changes come in. Every country so far has given the model a trim at the waist, but nobody has really bulked up the arms until Pakistan's Photoshopper did. They seem almost disproportionate to his torso, but powerful all the same.
10. Philippines
In the Philippines, the model loses a lot of bulk from his legs, and for the first time since Egypt, there's some definition to his abs and pecs, although it's only slight. There's also an interesting flatness to his shoulders.
11. Portugal
If you saw Portugal's guy walking down the beach with a hot dog in his hand, you wouldn't look twice. This dude's most notable feature is his thick neck and broad face, with an almost regal jawline.
12. Russia
The first country to give him a major upgrade is Russia, swapping out the model's hair for more of a windswept Viking look. And this guy has definitely been hitting the gym — apparently the Russians are all about the pecs.
13. South Africa
Ouch, did South Africa just swap out his body for an entirely different, sculpted body? He's got more definition than Merriam-Webster all of a sudden. They might have only kept three quarters of his face, for that matter.
14. Spain
Spain's Photoshopper kept it reasonable, simply giving him a broad, but not chiseled, chest and shoulders, and a slimmer waist. It's not much of a surprise that his face has the same royal bearing as Portugal's did.
15. United Kingdom
Looks like the model went on a big diet in jolly old England, slimming way down, but he doesn't sport the muscles you might expect. Even his head shrunk. And it looks like there's something going on with his complexion.
16. United States
Ah, it must be the U.S. of A. if the model had his torso replaced with that of an underwear model, but he clearly skipped leg day. He has enough product in his hair to withstand a tornado, too, so it all checks out.
17. You can see all of the countries that were included in the study below:
Isn't it amazing how different they all are? It just goes to show how greatly beauty standards change around the globe for men as well as women – and there's a whole lot of globe left over after the countries that were included in the study.
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