Body image in non-western societies

This article discusses a range of body modification and conceptions of the body in non-Western societies. It also analyzes difficulties in applying the primarily Western psychological notion of body image to different societies. Body modification is a near human universal, but has many meanings and aims. Some of this diversity may be lost due to globalization, which has the potential to create disturbances in body image and impose Western aesthetic standards. As beauty industries spread to the non-Western world, however, they are often transformed in line with local values and meanings, yielding new, hybrid body practices and distinct health challenges.