During this year’s King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Saudi Arabia, the pursuit of perfection reached an all-time high for 12 unfortunate camels. The festival is a 28-day extravaganza of all things camel, including camel races, camel-inspired art, exhibitions of photographs of camels, and the hotly anticipated camel beauty contest. The beauty contest awards the most beautiful camels with prizes that amount to over USD30 million, driving some owners to send their animals in for a little nip and tuck.
Read also: You won’t believe how the king of Saudi Arabia travels
What are the golden standards for camel beauty? Big features, delicate ears and full lips. “They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw,” Ali Al Mazrouei told The National. “It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it’s like, ‘Oh look at how big is that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.’”
As a result, 12 camels entered in this year’s beauty contest were disqualified for their Botox injections. But it’s not just Botox – veterinarians have been caught using collagen fillers and hormone supplements on camels, and even putting camels under the knife to achieve those delicate ears. The world is officially crazy, and camels (and their owners!) need to reject unrealistic beauty standards. Let 2018 be the year that camel owners learn to love their camels for their inner beauty.
Image credit: Main
