expression
even an ugly girl looks beautiful in her prime
Proverb, abbreviated from 鬼も十八番茶も出花. Suggests that any young woman has a certain beauty at the peak of her youth, just as even coarse tea tastes good when freshly brewed.
See also: 鬼も十八番茶も出花
「鬼も十八」ということわざがある。
There is a proverb, 'even an ugly girl looks beautiful in her prime.'
Abbreviation of 鬼も十八番茶も出花. The phrase uses 鬼 (demon) to represent an unattractive woman, and 十八 (eighteen) as the age of youthful beauty.