Mauritania

As annoying (and, yes, unhealthy, and even life-destroying in many cases) as it is that our culture demands a size zero in order for one to be considered beautiful, some cultures may be just as or more disturbing in their beauty trends. You might have heard about body mutilation to appear more beautiful (or to ensure a girl will not cheat on her husband, in the event of female genital mutilation), or about skin bleaching to appear whiter (the contrast of our Western tradition of tanning).