This Woman's Picture Was Photoshopped In 25 Countries. What It Reveals About Perception Of Beauty Is Shocking

One quick look at the finalists for Miss World will tell you everything you need to know about how differently beauty is perceived from one country to another.

Esther Honig, a human interest reporter wanted to see just how much culture influences beauty, and so she had the idea to ask 40 photo editors in 25 different countries to photoshop her picture.

"Make me look beautiful," was the brief, and the results say a lot about what we - globally - think a perfect woman looks like.

Honig, 24, shared the images of before and after on her website, and speaking to the Mail Online, she said that the results left her feeling breathless. While some of them make her look very different, the one that made her 'shriek' was the USA's version.

"It's been manipulated so radically that it was like looking in the mirror to see a warped image of my own face."

She told The Huffington Post via email, "[It] definitely highlighted my own lack of cultural awareness. Of course, someone from a country where the primary religion is Islam might elect to add a Hijab to my image as that aligns with their own cultural customs. For me it really added depth to my project by touching on the concept of religion and custom, not just aesthetics."

What has it taught her?

"Overall what I’ve learned from this project is this; Photoshop allows us to achieve our unobtainable standards of beauty, but when we compare those standards on a global scale, achieving the ideal remains all the more elusive. "

Here's a look at her photos:

Check out the rest of the incredible images below.

India