Pictures of Beautiful Women from Around the World

I'm thinking about the concept of beauty and how each culture has its own idea of what beauty is. Here are pictures I've taken of women from different countries. They are so different and yet each one is charming. 

The woman in green was our tour guide in Burma (or Myanmar). She had been an actress (or wanted to be). She struck this pose for us, which I managed to catch.

The people in Burma use thanaka, a white paste made from a bark, as sunscreen as well as cosmetic. It also acts as an insect repellent, moisturizer, and has many other benefits. Children, men, as well as women use thanaka. Sometimes, they make flower and other designs on their faces.

The woman with the red turban belongs to the Pa-O ethnic group from Burma's Shan State. This particular group wears black and red. I captured this image in a market in Inle Lake. (Oh, I'd like to see this fabulous place again. The lake was pristeen and other-worldly.)

The picture of this charming Long Neck Karen was also taken at Inle Lake, Burma. There was a group of them at a tourist shop, weaving and having their pictures taken. From the time they are children, brass rings are placed on their necks to push down their collar bones and upper ribs, making their necks appear long. This is "beautiful" to them. It makes me think of Chinese women with small bound  feet, also considered desirable. The Chinese have stopped this practice although there are still old ladies with bound feet.

I took the picture of this belly dancer in Turkey. She was sultry and attractive. I was puzzled at the contrast between the blatant sexuality of belly dancing in places where regular women have to cover their heads, bodies, and even faces.

This is a Cham dancer from Vietnam. The Cham ethnic group are found in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Thailand.

I took a picture of these two women carrying jugs in India. I've hear some people say they don't want to go to India because it's a poor country. There are poor people in India, but there are also rich people in India. It is a huge country with quite a lot of interesting temples and places to see. I've visited India twice and could go back again.

These are young Masai women dancing in Kenya, where we went on Safari.  I could go on Safari again! I didn't think those daily drives to see wild animals could be fascinating, but they were.

These young women belong to the Montagnard ethnic group in Vietnam. They looked very much like the tribe from Northern Philippines

This picture was taken a while back but I've included it to represent the Filipina women. This was my writers' group, and I'm seated on the left, wearing green.

I've also included a picture of these modern German and American women.

Have a great weekend!

Read also
Miss Philippines crowned Miss World 2013 & More About Filipina Beauty
Fascinating Faces of the World 
Mother Goddess Figures: Food for Thought

tags: women, ethnic, beautiful, pictures, photos, Burma, Vietnam, Philippines, Masai, Montagnards, Long Neck Karen, Cham, India, Turkey, India, America, German

This is all for now,
Cecilia