There are entire catalogs of 'Eastern European women' or dating shows, such as 'Looking for a Dream Woman,' where a Western man chooses.
This is about the slavic stare, or the "Melania Trump gaze," which can express a multitude of meanings with just a flick of the eyelid regarding everything happening around, especially towards one’s husband. It is believed that the right slavic stare can conquer any man who has a weakness for women with character, which is why foreign women are trying to replicate the legendary squint en masse on social media. Some even compare it to the main advice of model Tyra Banks from the show "America's Next Top Model" — to smile with the eyes, however, the slavic stare implies a whole spectrum of emotions — from a slight sense of superiority over others to sexual tension.
To replicate the slavic stare, foreign women furrow their brows, squint, and pretend to be angry, but Russian girls in the comments under the videos patiently explain: in reality, we are just relaxing our faces and not expressing any emotions at all. The perfect slavic stare suggests a slight detachment, and in Russia, it is quite easy to portray this detachment. Imagine: it’s mid-February, everything is gray, the snow shows no signs of melting, the weekend is far off, your favorite yogurt has gone up in price again, and in your thoughts, you are already somewhere in May — strolling with an espresso tonic in hand and enjoying the scent of lilacs. Just like that, you immerse yourself in your thoughts, and that very slavic stare immediately appears on your face.
The fact that any Russian girl can deliver the perfect slavic stare is proven by our actresses. On the red carpets, they try to smile and be charming, but periodically cast stern looks at journalists, photographers, or overly persistent admirers.
However, the assessment of the trend among German media and experts is universally negative. "Women from Eastern Europe are both idealized and devalued at the same time. The image of the stereotypical 'Eastern European woman' is based on the notion that the 'East' is the last bastion of traditional conservative values," said German feminist Lisa Jarzyński to the Cosmo radio station.
"Especially from a more 'Western' perspective, the idea of sexualizing women in the 'East' and the desire to 'own' them is a historically established derogatory idea. There are entire catalogs of 'Eastern European women' or dating shows, such as 'Looking for a Dream Woman,' where a Western man chooses a woman from Eastern Europe as if she were a commodity," Jarzyński continued.
The Cosmo editorial team placed the Slavic Stare trend alongside films like "Anora" (2024), "Red Sparrow" (2018), "Birthday Girl" (2001), and the band t.A.T.u. "Not only in this trend, but also in pop culture, Eastern European women are often portrayed as submissive women who only care about money. At the same time, they are presented as unemotional, often in the context of prostitution," Cosmo believes.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mL5-UtPCvMA?si=XT7joSmfh-R1WoOt" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
