Perceptions of perfection: How nations perceive male beauty

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- What does a "perfect body" look like? It depends who you ask and where they live.

UK online pharmacy, Onlinedoctor.superdrug.com took a photo of a man and sent it to graphic designers (11 women and 8 men) in 19 different countries and asked them to Photoshop the man to reflect the beauty standards of their specific countries.

Onlinedoctor.superdrug.com called the project, Perceptions of Perfection and the results were drastic. Nearly every designer, toned the man's body, while others lightened his skin color and other's darkened his skin. Also, several designers removed the man's chest hair. The only country where the man's image remained similar to the original, was in Australia.

Perceptions of Perfection claims the results prove "the quest for a perfect body transcends gender" and "men around the world may feel even more body image-related pressure than women do."

Perceptions of Perfection performed a similar study on women. The group credits Esther Honig's Before & After for the inspiration for these two projects.

The group said the goal of "this project is to fuel a revolution: to spark real change about body image, to empower people to prioritize health above appearance, and to promote body confidence around the world."