10 Very Bizarre Trends From Around the World
Trends that emerged as widespread Popular fascinations in our own backyard can seem weird enough on their own. But venture into the global world of trends and fads and you can find yourself on an odd, perplexing journey of cultural curiosities. These 10 trends gained a groundswell of popular support within one or more particular cultures, even if we don't understand why.1. Manba
If you happen to find yourself in Japan and wind up both confused and put off by seeing what appears to be girls in offensive blackface, you can take at least some solace in knowing that they are following a trend more bizarre than actively racist. Mamba, as it is known, is a heavily accentuated makeup style featuring a dark complexion, circular white eye marks, light-colored hair and standout attire. Common among young Japanese girls, this wince-inducing fashion craze was apparently born as an attempt to appeal to the country's style crazed men.
2. Eye tattoos and jewelry
In certain parts of the world, eyes seem to be the next fashion frontier to conquer. The art of eye tattoos have grown prominent in Canada, where some have taken to getting the white portion of their eyes cornea filled with ink in what is, supposedly, a medically safe procedure and it's even prescribed in unique cases. Among Dutch youth,it has become popular to style up one's eyes with extra ocular implants, wherein a licensed opthamologist molds a piece of platinum alloy into a specified shape and insert it under the cornea for a flashy bit of eye jewelry.
3. The Belly Button Challenge
Earlier this year, the "Belly Button Challenge" became both a viral sensation a national health concern in China. The challenge, which cited a dubious, unnamed US study, held that a participant's still need to lose weight unless they typically she could reach their right arm around their back and have it touch their naval. That this rare skill had more to do with arm length that flexibility than belly circumference did little to dampen a trend that quickly generated over 21 million hits on the popular Chinese social media site, Weibo.
4. Hitler Chic
Believe it or not, there is a place in this world where Adolf Hitler is back in style. In Bangkok, Thailand, the fewer bizarrely became an iconic fashion brand unto himself earlier this year, as images of the notorious Nazi leader have popped up in cartoon form on t-shirts, sweatshirts and posters. This odd pop cultural phenomenon, one that is little chance of ever spreading state-side, seems to be more a case of ignorance on the part of Thai youth rather than a show of fascist support for a systematic extermination of Jews and other marginalized groups.
5. Elf Boots
With origins in the Matehuala region of Mexico in the late 2000s, these comically pointy boots became popular through their association with the “tribal guarachero” style of Mexican music. Boots have become a staple of style among local club kids, who will wear them to represent their place in all male dance groups that compete in Mexican night club competitions. These boots with elongated toes that can extend as long as five feet, have drawn plenty of attention for their standout. Showy nature and have even started seeping into American states with large Mexican migrant populations. Such as Texas, tennessee at Oklahoma.
6. The Sunlight Diet
Sunlight is not a replacement for food. This should not be news to any rational, reasonable human with thier head on straight, but it might be to the followers of Indian guru prahlad Jani, who authored the idea of the sunlight diet. According to Jani, we can gain all the nourishment we need from the Sun and through spirituality. In fact, he claims that he hasn't consumed any food or drink in 70 years. While most can probably see through this quack, the practice has been blamed for at least four deaths since the 1990's.
7. Meggings
If you were to name for cities that stand at the forefront of cutting-edge global fashion, it's hard to do any better than Tokyo, London, Paris and New York. How, then, have the Metropolitan cultural hubs served as the home of the “Meggings” or male leggings trend? Printed Meggings have grown popular worldwide among dancers, choreographers, fashion designers and other pioneers of style. That doesn't make the image of men in skin hugging leggings any less strange, at least to those of us who are less stylistically evolved.
8. Yaeba Teeth
The latest salvo in the seemingly eternal bid to stay forever young has been fired by Japan where the trend of “Yaeba” teeth has swept over Japanese girls. Translated as “double tooth”, this surgical procedure gives its recipients elongated teeth that appear newly developed and serve to create a crooked teeth appearance. The dental style has gained traction in Japan with girls who feel that provides a cuter, more child like appearance. This enpensive procedure has grown so popular that it has even spawned the world's first snaggle-tooth the girl group, TYB 48.
9. Animal Hair Hats
Take one look at the late Japanese pop artist Nagi Noda's over-the-top animal hair hats and it's no surprise that their most famous where was Lady Gaga. Before she passed away in 2008, Noda popularized her wild, untamed design, drawing upon the concept of the European fascinator style of showy headwear. Although their popularity seemed to fade alongside Noda is passing, these exquisite made from hair animal shapes have continued to create a stir on runways thanks to their stunning visual effect.
10. The Facekini
Some trends emerge out of necessity, while others arise out of an overreaction to a rather solvable problem. In China, beach-goers who have apparently never heard of sunscreen have taken to the ‘facekini’ as a means of avoiding the harmful UV rays of the sun. The product is quite simply a head mask designed to shield its wearer from the sun. The fact that it also leaves its wearer looking like a Mexican Lucha Libre wrestler seems to be an additional bonus. Also, imagine the tan lines that will greet these people once they return home after a day at the beach.
