It annoys me when people deny there isn't a Euro-centric standard of beauty in Asia (train, cultures)
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From the standpoint of an artist who has studied and does Chinese-style brushwork, excepting modern anime/manga, I don't see it.
Even moreso in Japanese art:
^ mods: those paintings are hundreds of years old and copyright exempt.
The whiteness? Yeah, especially in Northern parts of China, Japan, and Korea, there are fair-skinned people; I had an ex who was fair-skinned, had freckles, and light brown eyes despite being 100% ethnically Chinese...
There's certainly some truth to that. I'm from the "why not both?" camp.
In China, different dynasties have different standards of beauty. For example, in Tang Dynasty, relative "fat" women with very round face are considered beautiful, but it is certainly not true in Qing dynasty, for example.
In China, different dynasties have different standards of beauty. For example, in Tang Dynasty, relative "fat" women with very round face are considered beautiful, but it is certainly not true in Qing dynasty, for example.
In most Chinese paintings the women have narrow, thin, white faces with narrow sharp noses. Same with Japanese art.
Tall, slim, model-like ladies are now the standard of beauty in China. Go to any Chinese dating sight and you'll see many women 5'8"+. Some even have surgery to lengthen the limbs and be taller.
Yeah... right. Hardly anyone is trying to be taller than in asia. I can't talk about chinese dating sites, but I have lived in China.
Of course you will see woman that are 5'8"+, just like in any other country.
Yeah... right. Hardly anyone is trying to be taller than in asia. I can't talk about chinese dating sites, but I have lived in China.
Of course you will see woman that are 5'8"+, just like in any other country.
Chinese women don't aspire to be short. They may not want to be 6'2", but they definitely want to be tall, slim and long-limbed. This ideal seems moreso in China than the West even.
From the standpoint of an artist who has studied and does Chinese-style brushwork, excepting modern anime/manga, I don't see it.
Even moreso in Japanese art:
^ mods: those paintings are hundreds of years old and copyright exempt.
The whiteness? Yeah, especially in Northern parts of China, Japan, and Korea, there are fair-skinned people; I had an ex who was fair-skinned, had freckles, and light brown eyes despite being 100% ethnically Chinese...
There's certainly some truth to that. I'm from the "why not both?" camp.
Paintings or drawings are merely depictions of an ideal, and the problem is that people tend to take it too literally. It's just like in Japanese anime, the eyes are huge but you don't actually expect someone to have eyes that large or that they would actually look attractive with eyes that large, but what we know is that it's an ideal. And of course, they do have a way of depicting characters with narrow eyes as well depending on the manga/anime. http://hokageclanmeasure.webs.com/na...idaime0001.jpg
Despite those women in Chinese paintings being drawn with slitty eyes, beauty is actually pretty much universal. There's this study about newborn babies preferring to stare longer at more attractive faces. So while ancient Chinese artist may not share the same beauty standard as today's Chinese, what they see as beautiful still wouldn't differ too much from what we see as beautiful. For example, girls like this instead of this or this.
In most Chinese paintings the women have narrow, thin, white faces with narrow sharp noses. Same with Japanese art.
All the paintings have similar art style and texture so they were most likely from the same time frame. In Chinese literature though beautiful women are depicted as having pink lips and almond eyes. There's also a description for the face and the brows but it's too figurative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Postman
Chinese women don't aspire to be short. They may not want to be 6'2", but they definitely want to be tall, slim and long-limbed. This ideal seems moreso in China than the West even.
This is very true. The west seem to have no problem with women being short but in Asia it's an undesirable trait.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Postman
When was this painting drawn? Yes, large eyes are not uncommon in China, but moreso central and southern rather than northern China.
Central Chinese don't look too much different from Northern Chinese though. Usually it's only the far south that kinda stands out.
Last edited by Bastardised; 12-21-2013 at 01:58 PM..
Chinese women don't aspire to be short. They may not want to be 6'2", but they definitely want to be tall, slim and long-limbed. This ideal seems moreso in China than the West even.
Of course, if you are really short then you either look like a child or is not petite. Neither which is desirable.
However, the question is, do people have a euro-centric view. And as I said they don't desire the same height. Maybe the models do, but from my experience if you are over 1.7 in asia it becomes a disadvantage.
Take a look at famous actresses in China. Nearly all of them are in between 1.6 - 1.7.
Of course, if you are really short then you either look like a child or is not petite. Neither which is desirable.
However, the question is, do people have a euro-centric view. And as I said they don't desire the same height. Maybe the models do, but from my experience if you are over 1.7 in asia it becomes a disadvantage.
Take a look at famous actresses in China. Nearly all of them are in between 1.6 - 1.7.
Maybe for some short insecure Chinese men, but the younger generation of Chinese - especially in the north - are tall. Many men are 6 foot+, and many Chinese models are 5'9"+, some over 6 feet even. I think if you measured university students in Beijing who are from the north they wouldn't be much different to Europeans in height.
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