Question

A Different kind of Beauty


Imagine smiling at a stranger and they smile back at you with shiny dark black teeth! That was possible in Japan hundreds of years ago when it was considered beautiful. Both men and women dyed their teeth black, but it became most popular for married women and those who were trying to look fashionable. These women painted their faces white and their teeth black, which created a remarkable contrast. Some of the women also wanted to hide the color of their teeth, which looked yellower next to the white face paint. In any case, it was discovered that the dye actually helped prevent

Think and Speak! Would you rather dye your teeth black or risk having teeth that look yellow?

dye - (v.) to change the color of something with a substance contrast -(n.) a difference between two things in which one is light and the other dark

Reflect:
Why might black teeth not be considered beautiful in today's society? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?


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Answer 1

Explanation:

In Japan, the blackening of teeth can be dated back as early as the Kofun period. Excavated bones and clay figures, called haniwa, were found showing traces of blackened teeth, hinting at the long tradition of this custom. Throughout the history, ohaguro has been mentioned quite a bit. Whether in the famous Genji Monogatari, a book from the 12th century that is considered as the world's very first novel, or in various fairy and folk tales, the art of blackening one's teeth held a prominent place in Japan’s history for some time.