Beauty knows no borders, and while we love to debate which country has the most attractive men and women, the reality is that there are beautiful people everywhere. What can be true, however, is that people whose origins come from certain places do tend to have a certain look about them that gives away their ancestry. Things like bone structure, specific facial features, hair color, eye color, and so on can give clues to where someone might be from. A writer at BuzzFeed decided to put this to the test and asked AI to create photos of what would be considered a beautiful man or woman in 27 different countries. This is what AI came up with.
The Most Beautiful People in 27 Countries, According to AI
Before we get into the photos of what AI has determined are what the most attractive people from these countries would look like, let’s get a few things straight. It seems as though this AI model has taken into account moreso what the ‘traditional’ person might look for from these places. It doesn’t appear that it has taken into account that people migrate, or are mixed race, or many other factors that would change that. For example, it doesn’t appear to have taken into account that your parents were perhaps from Pakistan but moved to Norway before having you, and you, therefore, are Norwegian. In the case of certain countries, it also doesn’t seem to have taken into account native populations, basing its estimations more off of the decedents of European colonizers than the actual people native to that country. Finally, (spoiler alert) one is basically just an AI generated image of Chris Hemsworth, I’ll let you guess which one. With all of that in mind, let’s jump in.
1. The United States
Is this what you had in mind for the all-American girl? In my opinion, this is one that could actually be somewhat accurate to the United States’ actual cultural landscape. This girl appears as though she could potentially come from a mix-race, multi-cultural family. What’s more American than that?
2. Scotland
A strong, kilt-wearing red head standing against the dramatic backdrop of the Scottish highlands? I can almost hear the accent from here.
3. Germany
While not everyone in Germany is blond, it is true that many German origins lie in Swedish, Danish, and other more northern countries. This is likely why so many Germans have blond hair. Of course, immigration and cultural blending have diversified the country since its origins. This woman seems to be wearing a race car-driving looking shirt, which checks out given the countries stake in the automotive business.
4. Australia
And there you have it – Australia’s most attractive type of man isn’t even a type, it’s just Chris Hemsworth. Even AI can’t argue with that one.
5. Jamaica
When you ask someone to picture a person from Jamaica, they’ll most likely picture some of the country’s most famous residents, such as Bob Marley or Usane Bolt. Jamaican womens’ beauty, however, stands second to none.
6. Canada
A beard to protect his face from the cold and strong bone structure that makes it seem like chopping down a tree would be easy work for him, this is definitely fitting with the Canadian lumberjack stereotype. That being said, as a Canadian myself, I think AI forgot that Canadian winter is only one of its four seasons, but also that the original Canadians were, in fact, the country’s many different tribes of native peoples. Seeing some of their culture represented here would make this even better.
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7. India
From their long, thick hair, dark eyes, beautiful jewelry and even more beautiful traditional dress, Indian beauty has long captivated the world. With a people as vibrant as their music, cultural, and cinema, it’s easy to see why.
8. Brazil
Brazil is known for having some of the world’s most beautiful people, and this image definitely shows you why. While it is true that many Brazilians do have a look similar to this, it is worth pointing out that Brazil is actually one of the most diverse countries in the world. With its population’s origins coming from its indigenous peoples, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and more, Brazilian beauty comes in all colors, shapes, and sizes.
9. Ireland
You can almost hear the lively sound of the Irish fiddle playing in the background of this image. Another country that is become increasingly more diverse, it is true that traditionally Irish people have had fair skin and, in some cases, red hair. They’ve got a charming accent to go with the look, to boot.
10. France
Does anyone else hear La Vie en Rose playing in background when they look at this image? This French man most definitely has a certain je ne sais quoi about him. Only thing that is missing is a baguette tucked under his arm.
11. China
Jet black hair, fair skin, and a certain mysterious air about her, this girl is the epitome of Chinese beauty. The wind blowing her hair like that with her bright red cloak, she looks like she might disappear on you before you get the chance to ask her for her name.
12. Greece
Hercules? Superman? This AI generated image definitely found its inspiration in Greek mythology and its tales of powerful gods and goddesses. This man certainly looks like he could have at least competed in the original Olympic games in Athens.
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13. Poland
If I had to guess, this woman is likely carrying a basket of the same red fruits that are adorning her head. Perhaps later on she will go to a family dinner, where everyone will dance the polka. With her light colored hair and blue eyes, she is definitely the stereotype of a traditional Polish girl.
14. Ghana
Ghana is a land of wonderful music, dance, food – and apparently very handsome men. I appreciate AI giving him a colorful outfit, which seems to be in line for this nation’s love of colorful clothing.
15. Honduras
A mountainous nation with indigenous roots and traditions blending with those of their Spanish conquerors, Honduras is a small nation with incredibly beautiful people, inside and out. Dressed in a shirt that seems inspired by indigenous textiles, this woman, like many Honduran people, would likely be more than happy to share some of her beautiful culture with you.
The Problematic Nature of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly prevalent in our every day lives. It has a great impact on societal norms and most prominently on beauty standards. These beauty standards, which are often completely unattainable by the average person, can have a detrimental impact on individuals. This is especially seen on women and children. The problem with AI’s influence on beauty standards lies in its perpetuation of unrealistic and unattainable ideals of beauty, often focusing on narrow representations that prioritize certain physical characteristics over others. Men and women, and particularly children, are exposed to heavily edited and airbrushed images on a regular basis. These images distort their perception of beauty. Children, in particular, have a hard time separating these images from reality. This leads to low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction as individuals compare themselves to the digitally altered images presented as the standard of beauty.
The Impact on Children
Children, in particular, are susceptible to the negative impact of AI-driven beauty standards as their self-concept and self-worth are still developing. Exposure to unrealistic beauty ideals perpetuated by AI can fuel self-doubt, insecurity, and a distorted self-image among children. This can frighteningly lead to a range of psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. As children increasingly engage with AI technologies at increasingly younger ages, they are more vulnerable to internalizing these unrealistic beauty standards. This can have long-lasting effects on their mental and emotional well-being.
AI and Stereotypes
AI often tends to lean on stereotypes due to the biases and reductionism prevalent in the datasets on which the AI systems are trained. This is just a fancy way of saying that AI picks up on our own biases or stereotypes that are often quite prevalent online. These AI systems, such as Midjourney and Dall-E, often produce images that reflect deeply ingrained stereotypes, presenting limited and often inaccurate depictions of various cultures and identities. For instance, prompts for “An Indian person” frequently resulted in the generation of images depicting older men with traditional headwear. This, of course, leaves women out of the equation. It also severely reduces the population of India, which is rich in diversity, into one overly simplified idea of the country. The overrepresentation of men in AI-generated images and the portrayal of people in traditional or stereotypical dress further demonstrate how AI systems flatten diverse and multifaceted identities into simplified and often misleading stereotypes. These tendencies come from the bias and stereotypes found in the datasets used to train the AI, however large they may be. This highlights the need for more inclusive and diverse training data to mitigate the perpetuation of stereotypes by AI image generation systems.
To see the other 12 countries, visit BuzzFeed and see if you agree with the AI image.
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