THE MAYAN LOOK

THE MAYA CERTAINLY HAD SOME CRAZY IDEAS ABOUT WHAT BEAUTY WAS... THEY ALSO WORKED HARD TO GET A SLOPED FOREHEAD. THEY THOUGHT CROSSED EYES WERE ATTRACTIVE THEY ADMIRED NOSES THAT WERE HIGH-BRIDGED AND HOOKED!

THE MAYA WERE NOT BORN WITH THESE TRAITS AND WORKED HARD TO ACHIEVE THEM... THEY SQUEEZED A BABY’S HEAD BETWEEN TWO BOARDS WHILE THE SKULL WAS STILL SOFT TO ACHIEVE A SLOPED FOREHEAD.

TO PERMANENTLY CROSS THE EYES, THEY WOULD PLACE A BEAD IN THE BABY’S HAIR SO THAT IT DANGLED BETWEEN THE BABY’S EYES. THEY WOULD TURN THEIR EYES TOWARD THE DANGLING BEAD SO OFTEN THAT THEIR EYES WOULD PERMANENTLY CROSS.

TO ACHIEVE THE MUCH ADMIRED HOOKED NOSE A MAN WOULD HAVE HIS NOSE BROKEN AND RESET TO PRODUCE THE HUMP ON THE BRIDGE AND THE HOOKED LOOK.

MEN HAD BALD SPOTS BURNED ON THEIR HEADS. OUCH!

WHAT IF WE HAD THE SAME TRAITS TODAY? CROSSED EYES? THE CHILD WOULD BE FITTED WITH CORRECTIVE GLASSES.

A MISSHAPEN SKULL: A BABY WITH THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE FITTED WITH A SPECIAL HELMET TO WEAR TO FIX ANY ABNORMALTIES.

HOOKED NOSE: PEOPLE OFTEN UNDERGO SURGERY TO CORRECT A HOOKED NOSE AND TAKE THE HUMP OFF OF THE BRIDGE.

MEN OFTEN TRY TO COVER BALD SPOTS NOW.

OTHER REPRESENTATIONS OF BEAUTY TO THE MAYA EAR AND NOSE PIERCINGS TATOOS INLAID OR CHISELED TEETH

...BUT IS THAT REALLY SO ODD?

WHAT DID THEY WEAR?