Japan - Horimono

In Japanese medieval times, criminals would be branded with a tattoo on their forehead to show society that they are criminals. Criminals later on would form a gang known as the Yakuza. It is like the Italian mafia only it's the Japanese version. Today, the Yakuza hold a special tradition where they wear tattoos on their whole body, called a Horimono. The tattoos are meant to bring fear and to show others how much pain they could bear. It shows their strength and perseverance. These tattoos are not only feared, but they are also praised for their beauty and intricate patterns. It can take up to ten years and tens of thousands of dollars to complete a Horimono. Hope you guys enjoy this video

Thailand - Pa Dong Tribe

In Thailand, there is a traditional tribe where the women are known as Giraffe women because of their unique necks caused by the coil of the rings. This tribe has taken refuge in the country in order to avoid persecution from the Burmese government. As you watch the video below, you will get to know the details of why they are being persecuted. The Pa Dong tribe are humble and kind people. Their refuge in Thailand has lead them to become a tourist destination, where foreigners are intrigued by their customs. The girls are the only ones who wear the neck rings. They start this process when they are young because their bones are most flexible. The girls do this as they believe that beauty is worth the pain. The long neck look is an illusion. This is because the the heavy rings around their neck pushes the shoulder down, and therefore the neck looks elongated. The rings are a tribal identity for the women. The women don't see that the rings prevent them to who they might be but rather the rings represent who they are. Hope you all enjoy this video.

Mehndi India

Behind every tattoo there is a story.

There are plenty of reasons to get a tattoo. In our society we may do it because its for fashion, for personal reasons, being symbolic of something and even just a fake tattoo, everyone seems to enjoy the idea of having something printed on their skins. 

Today's post we will look closely at another form of art, known as the Mehndi. 

A certain paste is made and put in a cone like tube so that the sharp end of the cone squeezes out the paste. The pastes goes onto the skin and as it dries up, you get the print of it on your hands. 

Mehndi is usually used in wedding and for the coming of age for girls in India. It is a figurative art because it is not permanent and changes constantly. 

The following video lets you view the complexity behind making the Mehndi style of art on your hands. 

Marriage in Africa

In today's post we will look at marriage customs within a particular tribe in Africa.

The Wundabi tribe annually hold a beauty contest for men as a custom for the women of the tribe to choose their husbands.

The family hierarchy in the tribe on the male side is not traditional when it comes to monogamy, but rather they are given the chance to try and win over another wife in this contest. From a feminist point of view this might seem outrageous, but surprisingly the women have the upper hand, and are allowed to find a new husband, however have to stay monogamous.

In this beauty contest, as featured in the video below, men must adorn themselves with make up, dance and dress up to show their masculinity and attractiveness. The women are the main audience and they choose who they want to be with.

It makes me think of all the cheesy pick up lines that guys would try to say to girls and how girls try to impress guys with their looks and personality. I think the Wundabi tribes way is much more entertaining and worth the effort.

Beauty in Africa

We'd just like to take note that this post is not aimed at generalizing the idea of beauty in African culture.

Our main focus for this post is on a video that we have come across about the Mursi Tribe of Southern Ethiopia. It features a woman exploring the tribes customs and values where she reveals the ideas behind the lip plate (see video below).

This lip plate is the tribes symbol for beauty, where the bigger the lip plate, the more beautiful you are.

In a way this parallels itself to western culture as well as we go from a simple piercing of the ears to extreme mutilation, for example having surgery to create elf ears, or more so as we know, the famous snake man and tiger man.

Bound Feet in China

I came across an article about an old custom where women in china had their feet bound. It was a custom that was outlawed in 1949 during the Cultural Revolution in China.

The bound feet had many meanings. Economically it meant that the women would be considered to be from a higher class and that she was also the property of the family. Socially the girl would be beautiful, the smaller the feet the more attractive and appealing she was.

What struck me the most was that the women would have to endure the pain as they wobbled to get from place to place, and needed help from others to get around. Above all, they were still expected to do the house work and take care of their children. This makes me value my feet more.

What do you think about this old tradition of class and beauty?

Click here for more information on bound feet