How Her Face Was Photoshopped In 18 Countries

Half Japanese, half black, this biracial woman wanted to look “beautiful.” Inspired by a social experiment conducted by Esther Honig, Priscilla Yuki Wilson asked photo editors in different countries to enhance a no-makeup photo of herself to see exactly how they would alter her face using Photoshop. It wasn't a trap of any sort — she was simply curious to see how the standards of what makes someone beautiful differs across the globe.

Editors in 18 different countries and the European Union enhanced the photos based on how they believed Yuki Wilson's photo would be altered to appear in ads in their respective nations. Some countries, such as Macedonia and Sri Lanka, enhanced her skin to make it appear darker. Others editors from the European Union and The Netherlands, tweaked the photo to make her complexion lighter. Israel put a touch of purple eye shadow to her eyes, while an editor from the United States even added a full wig, complete with curls and bangs. The only thing that remained constant was the fact that her face was never left completely alone.

How does Yuki Wilson feel about her enhanced looks?

"I am living in a culture that’s still adjusting to my kind of face," she says in an interview with the Huffington Post. "I was taught that my natural self did not comply with conventional standards set forth by society, saying fairer skin is better, straighter hair is more attractive, and that skinny tastes good."

Check out some of the photos Yuki Wilson got back from the editors around the globe, based off the original print above:

Vietnam

USA

USA

USA

The Netherlands

Sri Lanka

The most interesting part of the experiment, in my opinion? The photos enhanced by three different editors in the United States were all quite different. The first editor softened Yuki Wilson's skin to make it appear a touch lighter. As an opposite effect, another editor darkened her complexion in Photoshop. The third? Well, she was sporting full-on hair and make up.

Sure, it's a little depressing that not one person left Yuki Wilson's face just as it was, but if you look on the bright side, this just confirms that the "standard" of beauty is total BS. What one editor saw as a flaw, another embraced. Guess we should all just start living with the fact that there's no way we'll ever please everyone, and start loving who we are without any alterations.

Images: Che Landon; Priscilla Yuki Wilson