#22: Crooked Teeth Are Admired in Japan
In a culture that often finds charm in the imperfect, Japan celebrates yaeba—the slightly crooked, fang-like upper teeth that project youthful innocence and approachability. Unlike Western ideals, which favor straight, gleaming smiles, yaeba embraces a quirky authenticity, often described as “cute” or “adorably flawed.”
Some women even visit cosmetic dentists to enhance or replicate the look, intentionally adding dental caps to mimic natural misalignment. Beauty influencers like Michelle Phan have spotlighted the phenomenon globally, noting how yaeba softens a person’s appearance and makes them seem more real, approachable, and endearingly human.
