Beauty Standards Around The World: England
With London being one of the four main fashion capitals of the world and birthplace to high-end, renowned designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, some may be surprised with how relaxed the beauty standards are in England – but also how incredibly multicultural, wild, and diverse they can be.
Before I touch on any other English beauty standard, it’s essential that we examine the English Rose, the quintessential and nostalgic idea of the English woman – a simple beauty complemented by timeless sophistication and modesty.
This more natural and laidback standard of classic archetypal English beauty has been most famously seen in stars such as Kiera Knightley, Emilia Clarke, Emma Watson, Lily James, Kate Beckinsale, and the Royal Family’s Kate Middleton and Diana Spencer. This beauty type is well-renowned for its femininely sweet and simplistic draw.
To achieve this “English Rose” look, make-up artist Neil Young says you must obtain “berry-stained plump lips, ruddy, flushed cheeks, and a dewy invisibly-perfect complexion.”
The English Rose is the natural desired look one would expect from a country that endures incredibly mixed (but usually chilly) seasons, but this look has very gradually become uncommon among regular citizens, to the point where it would probably take you a while to source one out walking through the city.
The Most Beautiful Woman in England
A hard decision indeed, but after scouring through almost every possible article, study, and public poll I could find, it seems Emma Watson was the most popular result for “most beautiful woman in England,” and how could she not be!
Having spent much of her life on the screen, Emma Watson is one of Britain’s most well-recognized and most beautiful faces. A recent live-action Disney Princess and long-beloved British beauty, Watson also happens to epitomize the delicate, feminine, and simplistic beauty of the English Rose – making her the perfect contender for “most beautiful.”
England’s Peculiar Population of Orange Women
Now, English Rose aside, I must touch on the vast and growing population of England’s artificially tanned women. Having lived in England and spent most of my summers on the West coast of the U.S., something I have noticed lacking in American women that I seem to notice more regularly in modern English women is that the former are simply a lot less orange.
Without immediately delving into a full nation roast, it seems the further north you travel in England, the more obnoxiously orange they get – which is also amusing considering these parts of the UK are often the coldest. Yes, I would not have a beauty standards article without mentioning the fake tan craze memed and stereotyped in the last decade among English women.
The North of England is the “orange” capital of the UK. In fact, in Liverpool, public polling reveals that more than 59 percent of women fake the sun-kissed look by applying tanning lotion around five times a month (and, eek, I hope they aren’t sleeping on white sheets).
To accompany this new, *ponders on polite adjective* eccentric beauty standard, there is also an ever-growing trend in eyelash extensions and microblading – though I’ve noticed more women rocking the “soap-brow” lately for their eyebrows to appear thicker and bushier. The aim here appears to be to feel very “seen” and to stand out.
Another eye-catchingly artificial trend I have noticed emerging in England in the last five years or so: lip fillers. A worryingly popular development most likely originating from our Kardashian neighbors from across the pond, UK polls among the younger generation reveal that of 51,000 respondents, 59% said they viewed procedures such as lip fillers comparable to getting a haircut or manicure.
England vs The World
In time, it seems UK beauty standards resemble more U.S.-styled beauty than it does to its geographically closer European counterparts, something I recognized particularly after having read many of the Evie Magazine “Beauty Standards” series articles.
With the UK being more ethnically and culturally diverse than many other nations, its beauty standard is undeniably mixed and everchanging, much like the U.S. which also happens to be more ethnically and culturally diverse. “Mixed features” are a growing trend, much more so than in European or Asian nations where diversity levels are generally lower and culture has firmer stability and influence on its beauty standards.
As for body beauty, like much of the West, the curvier, “thicker” body type has become more fashionable and widely accepted within England. Unlike Korea and other East-Asian nations, where much of the beauty standard revolves around being incredibly petite, it seems the UK has followed the U.S. in embracing the “Kardashian look” that has stormed Western nations in the last decade.
Closing Thoughts
While there is a classic idea of English beauty grasped in the traditional “English Rose,” the standard of beauty in England is seemingly becoming more assorted and diverse with time, seen especially with growing media trends, alongside shifting cultural make-up.
If you enjoyed this article, check the other countries in our series: Italy, Australia, Russia, Kenya, France, Korea, Spain, Morocco, and Brazil.