Multicultural Manners : Weigh Comments on Beauty Carefully

Cindy has always struggled with her weight. She experiments with the latest diets and different weight loss programs--but to no avail. Her weight fluctuates and she has become extremely sensitive about her body. One day, while crossing the university campus, she runs into a former male classmate from Iran who greets her enthusiastically. “Cindy, you look good. You gained weight!” Cindy is crushed.

What went wrong?

Contrary to how it appeared, the young man was praising her appearance. In many cultures, thinness is not a characteristic to be admired.

In the Middle East, a beautiful woman is amply proportioned. In Farsi, the Persian language, they call it “kopoly,” or “topoly.” Wide hips signify that women can produce children. Thus they are considered appealing and good candidates for marriage.

Correspondingly, in Indian poetry beautiful women have been referred to as having the graceful walk of an elephant. And in the mid- to late-19th Century, plumpness was even fashionable in the United States. Women competed over their weight gains because they believed that fat promoted health and beauty.

Rule: Every culture has its own standards of beauty.