Beauty Standards in your Nation!

[The South Appalachian Region]

Every country, culture and time period has it's own ideas about what is beautiful in men and women. What people on magazine covers, on the runway, on TV, tend to look like. What look is considered sexually/physically attractive. The Japanese love fair skin and big eyes, Americans like chiseled features and hourglass bodies.

Today I'm asking, what is "attractive" in your nation for both genders?

It's 1981 here in South Appalachia, so we have a lot of that early 80s aesthetic, with our own twist. Women like wearing red or pink lipstick, and copious amounts of blush. They do their hair in curls or waves, and shorter hairstyles are not as popular here as in some other countries, Appalachian ladies keep their hair long. Long braids are also popular. Blonde is the most idealised hair color here, many brunette ladies even bleach their hair to get that color. Appalachian girls tend to like pastel colors, frills, pearls, and floral patterns. Traditional femininity is prized here.



For men, perms and mullets are in, as well as semi-long hair (although shorter than it was in the 70s) . Moustaches are still pretty big here and are considered sexy. Important in male beauty is the physique, muscular, physically fit men are considered quite attractive. Chest hair is a sign of masculinity. These days, western wear and country aesthetics are really in for men. If he looks like a cowboy pornstar, he's an ideal man of the USSA!

[Auzkhia]

It of course depends on species and regional culture.

Unicorns prioritize soft looks and sharp angles, an almost ageless look, in either mares, stallions, and non-binaries. Unicorn beauty has been described as the ultimate form, yet that could be their historic aristocratic status. One trait that is important among unicorn stallions is facial hair, the beard of a unicorn stallion represents his age and wisdom. The wisest unicorn warlocks and wizards had beards. Some even had mustaches too. Hair growth sometimes happens in mares too, but it is less common and does not grow as long. Of course in any gender, the horn is the key trait of a unicorn. Your horn is important, usually it is left alone as it is perfect already, though one may put some decorations around it. Hats for unicorns always accommodate the horn. In some cases, conceal it, especially if their horn will bring too much attention. Rings for horns are a fashion accessory too, but be careful as some rings are made to be suppressive restraints like shackles and cuffs. Magic suppression rings vs fashion rings differ a lot. Often is the case that their hooves are uniquely colored differently relative to their body, and some may have cloven hooves. Oh and the tail, being longer than most equine tails, bows, ribbons, and even socks made for the tail are somewhat common. To decorate it is a sign of youthful charm. They still have a hold on high fashion and the most famous designers, influencers, and artists are unicorns.

Pegasi consider athletic builds beautiful in any gender, feathery wings are their most signature trait. It is proper to keep one's wings preened and neat. The plumage matches your coat color usually, though having multiple colors in your feathers, mane, and tail are especially beautiful. Some have dyed their wing feathers in recent years, though some old fashion minded folks frown upon it, it is much more popular among younger pegasi. The ideal pegasus is sleek, thin, and aerodynamic. Pegasus bodies are naturally thinner and smaller. Fatness has been historically frowned upon, but sometimes, it is not always a slowing down thing, especially with strength. Though, they may not be the fastest fliers, they can be endurance fliers. Speed is the traditional value of them. They were the warrior class and the military spirit can be seen what they think is the most beautiful.

And earth horses consider larger builds beautiful, either fat or muscle. To be fat was seen as a sign of wealth. Zebras are like the same as earth horses, but especially value fatness, fat is beautiful to a zebra, considering their homelands history, it is especially relevant now. Bulking up is the easiest way to be beautiful. The colors can vary of course, less so in zebras, who often have black-white coat patterns, though sometimes light gray and white ones exist, and even brown zebras. Earth horses value honest and simple looks, they have often dressed plainer, again due to their lower historical standing in socioeconomic matters. To overdress was seen as too pretentious and anti-social. Work hard and dress comfortable. Worrying too much about looks will not get your more success or friends for that matter. Though attitudes are more carefree than ever. Some more conservative minded folks still insist on plain dress and simple living, especially among agrarian Menno-Amman types, though some have since left the Realm and Switzerland for America.

Griffons don't value much beauty but they are quite an opulent species, they love to decorate and display gold especially. They have a minimal yet extravagant taste.

Dragons, meanwhile, beauty is seen as less important historically, but looking tough and mean is like their idea of beauty, though dragons who live in mainstream society differ from that, especially since historically dragons lived separate from any other species and were solitary people, only ever meeting for war and mating.

Humans, meanwhile, are very picky, almost comical to other races. They want specific exaggerated traits and especially different among male humans and female humans, perhaps it is because they have a very limited color range in skin and hair. They can be often seen wearing making up, wigs or dyed hair are common, and bright clothes that grab attention are key. To the human, what you wear is the most important, especially since they lack fur, though some have extra hair, especially among men, in fact. Some men in some parts never shave. Humans think facial hair is especially masculine and no facial hair is feminine, this was not always the case, but beards are back in style among humans. The stereotypical human Auzkhian is blonde-hair, blue eyes, and fair light skin, stands a little taller than most, thin or mildly athletic build. Some other parts value darker hair more though. Blue and especially green eyes are more rare in humans and therefore are seen as special.

[Vallermoore]

When it comes to outer beauty, which is what I assume you mean...

When it comes to sapient ponies, the right kind of cutie mark is highly prized, along with good health for all three pony species. With changelings, a glossy exoskeleton and good changeling skills or major plusses whilst with humans good health and not being too plump or too skinny are good marks of beauty. Ultimately beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all happy romantic couples think each other are the most beautiful in Vallermoore.

[Miku the Based]

The government has health standards that it mandates to all citizen. The government believes that health directly correlates to beauty so people that fall in the bracket of most or all health categories are considered beautiful. You get graded on your physical examination like high school.

[Disgraces]

Beauty isn't a thing in Disgraces, since everyone looks the same.

[Atheara]

There is no Beauty Standard in Atheara, you may look like how you want to look like.
Also most people keep their Natural look, but might change their Hair Color, or might change their clothing style for one.
You are judged not by beauty, but by your own actions.

[Astellaris]

The standard of beauty in our empire is mostly revolves around facial features or things trending to humans, since we are a multi-species empire due to our planetary colonies. However, homo-sapiens or humans are the most common species in our empire due to settlements/colonization. Humans have mostly dominated the entire government, entertainment, etc. industries that other species took part trying out human materials (clothing, etc.) and created a pseudo-humanoid culture within the empire. Blonde, blue-eyed, 6 feet tall, and fair skin... Is the standard of beauty and the common feat. of humans in the empire since the other living inhabitants within Astellaris are a huge variation of aliens and creatures.

[Socialist States of Ludistan]

This is really original, cool.

In Ludistan being cubby is actually considered hot. When it comes to clothes, colourful clothes for women is really in, while formal clothes is for men. People also really like red hair, as it is considered royal,

[Kingdom of Halia and United Territories]

Fit bodies, dark tans and a clean shave are very desirable for many people of Halia, strength and endurance are considered attractive in both men and women and showing signs of doing plenty of excercise are a better way to attract a prospective partner than a pretty face or a voluptous behind.

[Cavirfi]

There are no beauty standards in Cavirfi and any person who tries to make one...mysteriously disappears.

[The Holy Solar Empire]

There is no strict sense of what one considers to be the standard of beauty in the Empire, if for no other reason than that there are simply too many disparate cultures and species. Universally however is a sense of health, no extremes in either thinness nor mass, clean complexion and so forth.

[Dowaesk]

In our nation

Beautiful women are considered beautiful

Handsome men are considered handsome

[The South Appalachian Region]

In our nation

Beautiful women are considered beautiful

Handsome men are considered handsome

Care to elaborate? Those words can mean entirely different things in different cultures and even on an individual basis.

Someone beautiful in Mexico may not be considered so in China, etc.

[Latorik]

Generally in New Albania appeal is generally a non-issue since most of the population is artificially created but things like ritual tattoos are considered pretty, the more detailed the better.

Battle scars and other things like that are pretty widely viewed as respectable and attractive since it proves you are capable of standing up too and committing violence, both very important parts of Albanian culture.

[Hakinda Herseyi Duymak istiyorum]

[Blue Nagia]

We Nagians are generally very proud of our appearances, especially our brightly coloured scales. These scales may be almost any colour, but eating brightly coloured fruits can intensify or change the colours of one's scales over time, and thus Nagians prize a diet that is both nutritious and colourful. No one colour is preferred, but there are sometimes fads for a particular colour. A certain kind of shrimp was once in fashion since it added a pink tone to scales, "warming" the complexion, but since vegetarianism became compulsory this has obviously fallen by the wayside, and a "cool" complexion with blue undertones is more prized.

Dull scales occur in the normal course of shedding, as the dead scales become loose and white, clouding the colour underneath. No one wants to go to a fancy event while they're shedding (for one thing, we're more irritable when in shed), but no one will shame you for it, either; the discomfort you'd feel at not looking your best would generally be your own.

However, if someone has persistently dull scales, they're thought to be ill or malnourished. The latter is a rare occurrence since free food is so plentiful in Blue Nagia, with trees full of fruits and the earth home to many different vegetables and herbs, but it can be a symptom of illness or trauma that a person may refuse to eat. The community will take them in and feed them, doctors will examine them for any diseases, and we'll try and get them looking and feeling their best again.

Nagians don't wear makeup as such, nor do we wear much in the way of clothes, but colourful paints and powders are used to decorate the body for festivals, and bright sashes and swags of fabric around the waist are common.

Probably the only pieces of clothing you will see a Nagian wear:

[The South Appalachian Region]

^Love that one! Dragon nation!

[Destyntine]

Beauty standards vary on the location within the nation, with specific trends normally being exclusive to a singular district. City and country standards are significantly different. City standards are very diverse, depending on who you ask, while beauty standards in the country tend to follow tradition more. Blonde hair and blue/green eyes are commonly sought after by every group. People are most attracted to other people of their own race.

Men from the cities are normally unique from one another, each with their own style. Some are rough and rugged, sporting bionic limbs and tattoos from head to toe, others are soft and feminine. There's a man in the city for everyone's preferences.

City women are often very competitive about beauty. Makeup, body augmentations, and expensive clothing are all common sightings within women's beauty standards. Like men, many women will have their own style. Slim builds are sought after.

Country men follow traditionalist looks. Many men in the country have long hair and a masculine build. Tattoos are common while hair dye is not. Many of these men will have 'working hands' and beards, these features are sought after by women in the country.

Country women will often go very light on the makeup, or not wear any at all. Long and sometimes braided hair are common features. Not too many women from the country have bionics. Average body builds are the most common among this group.

[Zartobania]

Because Zartobania has a mix of Slavic (Zartobanian), Black, and Asian due to being a former colony of the Maxtopian Federation, beauty standards in the country focuses on the unique features of each ethnic groups as well as the exotic appearances of mixed-race people.

[Melrovia]

For women, it is considered beautiful when they wear their hair long. It's considered very unattractive for a woman to cut her hair past her shoulders, but she can wear her hair in a bun. Ideally, a woman should be tall and slim.

For men, facial hair, especially mustaches, are considered attractive.

[Bunkaiia]

Bunkaiia's ethnic make up is extremely diverse owing to its cultural rich history. In the heavily populated south east, you can find both the Fàrotui "River people" Afro-Indo-Persians (descendants of the original Mazdakite) as well as the Fàmeïani "Swamp people" Afro-South Indians (descendants of the Yapaniya Jains that came in 9th and 10th century.)

In the far eastern Doyan archipelago, the semi-indigenous Safiloani (or Fàsafiloani) Afro-Austronesian community is most represented.

Fàrotui:
As the dominant and most populace Bunkaiian ethnic group, Fàrotui men and women are diverse. Generally a slim-build, with thick eyebrows, puffed up lips and a dark hue skin colour is generally considered to be attractive. Voluptuous but toned bodies for the women and hulking bodies with firm buttocks for the men are often considered to be the idealized traits.

Fàmeïani:
Sharp and refined facial features are generally considered to be the most attractive. Hairy chests are considered to be attractive among men. Fàmeïani women are typically considered to be the most hairy and a light mustache is often considered to be cute.

Safiloani:
Rounded facial features, limited body or facial hair, accompanied with partially epicanthic folded eyes and toned or muscular build (for both sexes) is usually considered to be highly desirable.

[Divided Wastelands of America]

Our Beauty standards are Traditional but

not Being a Hideous Mutant or Filthy is generally considered a good thing.
so as long as you don't look like this

[Laka Strolistandiler]

Well, in our nation, the Laka Strolistandiler, we find attractive and, to some extent, sexy not the looks of a person, but rather his/her wits and intellect! The looks usually come secondary, as in our culture, they, basically don’t matter.

Most of the beauty standards are also unisex as the women in our nation are, basically, treated as equal as men are- no exemptions, privilege or oppression- everyone works the same!
So, basically, talking about fashion, almost all of makeup is nonexistent. It’s often viewed as a sign of a person being not very clever and attempting to make up for is by highlighting his/her looks. Both sexes usually cut their hair short- as having such a haircut is very practical- it’s easy to wash, easy to comb and selling hair is a good way to do a nice thing for the society! Men usually don’t shave, because most of the time there is nothing to shave- they were genetically modified not to have facial hair- it’s considered a useless anachronism.
However, as much citizens of Laka don’t care about the way they look, they care about their hygiene. Since genetical modifications tend to hamper the natural immunity of the body, people are EXTREMELY afraid of starting an epidemic. As such, they usually spend at least an hour a day bathing, washing hands, disinfecting hands, etc. As such, most of the lakan people smell like a mix of medical soap and sanitizer.

[Zhouran]

An old photo from the late 1960s showing a Zhouranese man and two Zhouranese women belonging to a Mulukang (autonomous semi-military nomadic communities), the man can be seen proudly displaying is physique

In Zhouran, the traditional beauty standard has always been natural, tanned, and physically fit since ancient times. Despite being ethnically-unique, Kangyuli people are still racially Asian as they feature mostly Northern Mongoloid genetic influence with a certain degree of Caucasoid genetic influence. The very miniscule amount of Caucasoid genes are matrilineal as they originated from proto-Caucasoid women who intermixed with proto-Kangyulic nomadic men several millennia ago. As a result, Kangyuli people are still racially Asian and thus have Asian features in the same way that Finns are still racially white and have white features despite their gene pool containing patrilineal Asian genetics.

For Zhouranese men & women, the natural Asian features of a sharp almond-shaped eyes with epicanthic fold, flat face with high cheek-bones, small nose, sharp nasal bridge, prominent robust jawlines, and sloped forehead with strong brow are seen as ideal since within Zhouranese culture these features are described as the "rugged warrior look". For men, the Asian facial features emphasizes facial masculinity & warrior spirit while for women the Asian facial features emphasizes grace & beauty mixed with ruggedness and strong femininity. Plastic surgery for the sake of changing one's features is extremely unpopular in Zhouran, and in an act of pan-Asian solidarity, Zhouranese people are known to always tell their Asian brothers & sisters to be proud of their Asian features and never change it in order to fit in with Eurocentric standards of beauty. Thus, Zhouranese people are highly critical of Eurocentric beauty and instead believe that everyone should be proud of their appearance and never be ashamed of who they are because of vapid materialism fuelled by an aesthetic-addicted corporate society.

According to numerous local folktales across Zhouran, there are a variety of reasons as to why Zhouranese people look the way they are. There are folktales that describe how the Kangyuli people originated from grey wolves and thus have the "wolf look" while others say the Kangyuli people are actually descendants of Zulunkeyans, which are Zhouranese mythological creatures depicted as a mystical human-like creatures with magical powers and supernatural beauty. Some folktales also state that the Eternal God Yekezhong made man after himself and Fertile Goddess Kang Yulu made woman after herself.

Front view of a Zhouranese Great Warrior Wolf, one of the different subtypes of grey wolves found in Zhouran

In order to understand Zhouranese beauty standards, one must know the physical attributes of the Kangyuli Zhouranese.

Kangyuli men are known for being quite muscular, large-framed, stocky and broad shouldered, while the women are curvaceous and plump with a full figure and medium to large breasts. The physical body of a Kangyuli person is characterized as being naturally lean and tall, and having wide clavicles, narrow waist, medium-sized joints and bones, broad/square shoulders that are wider than the hips, and large frame/bone-structure. Kangyuli males tend to have large chests and wide shoulders, wide latisimuss dorsi and a small waist which makes for a V-shape of the torso, while Kangyuli females tend to have a waist that is narrower than the chest region due to the breasts, and narrower than the hip region due to the width of the buttocks. However, Kangyuli women can also have a body with hip measurement being greater than the bust measurement, resulting in a relatively larger rear, thicker thighs, and a small(er) bosom.

Eye color is predominantly brown, although, grey is common. Dark pigment of brown eyes is the most common eye color for Kangyuli people, followed by light/medium-pigmented brown eyes and grey eyes. Kangyuli people have epicanthic fold and generally have round to oval faces. Noses tend to be small, but noses with prominent bridges are also common. Kangyuli people generally have prominent cheek bones and nostrils that are short and broad.

Skin tone ranges from olive color to light brown. Kangyuli people tend to have black hair, although, light reddish brown and chestnut brown hair colors are fairly common also. Brownish-black/very dark-brown is the most common hair color for Kangyuli people, followed by dark-black, dark-brown, light brown, light reddish brown and chestnut brown. Kangyuli hair tends to be either straight or wavy. Thick eyebrows are common among Kangyuli males and females. Kangyuli men generally have thick voluminous beards.

Faces of the Kangyuli Zhouranese

[The South Appalachian Region]

Wow I love the central asian/Yakutian vibe going on with AN. Very cool, that region has always fascinated me, I feel kinship as someone with Native American blood, I believe we are long lost brothers.

By the way, I figured I'd add my own update to this thread, in regards to the ethnic minorities in our nation.

The majority of our citizens are of white, scotch-irish and English descent, so this phenotype is considered the main standard of beauty that a lot of Appalachians look up to (see my first/original post for more on this + pictures).

However we do have people of other races, so I'll add some pictures to represent them.

Native Appalachians, or Aboriginals, have a high population in the western half of Carolina. Unlike white folks, Aboriginal guys don't usually grow moustaches, although plenty aspire to it, and products claiming to "grow hair", of dubious efficacy, are quite popular products.

Native guys wear their hair longer than white guys, which is considered very attractive by Native women, and are known to have very good quality hair and rarely go bald. Fashion wise, the same trends that apply to white Appalachian males apply to Natives too.


Aboriginal women follow the same styles as white Appalachians too, that is, girly, lace, pastel colors, classical feminine look, except they rarely ever dye their hair blonde, like the typically Brunette Scotch-Irish girls often do. They still enjoy teasing and perms.


In the far south there are most of the black population. In general the media has pushed the ideal of the "mixed girl" among Black women. Slightly lighter skin, thin nose, smaller lips, soft and wavy hair. This ideal is fairly controversial, with prominent black celebrities apparently getting plastic surgery to achieve the so called "mixed look". Black activist organisations have formed attempting to push "black is beautiful" messages and teach young black women to be proud of what they look like.
Sometimes they tend to go for slightly bolder colors than white and Native women.



Like White men, black men often sport mullets and moustaches. They tend to like having soft curls.



The USSA typically sees cultural unity as a benefit, and promotes intermixing to lessen racial tensions and prevent ethnic ghettos from forming. However each of the three Appalachian groups do tend to have their own sort of "style" regardless.