Facial symmetry has been felt to be attractive, even sexy, because our DNA correlates symmetry with good health. But Stephanie Pappas reports on a recent study that calls all this into question:Despite the widespread assumption that symmetry might be a sign of good health, studies have turned up little evidence of a link between the two. A few small studies have linked facial asymmetry with some short-term health woes, like scratchy throats, but many others have found no links at all.However, … [Read more...]
Lookism: fat & body shaming (even by a Playmate).
Lookism surfaced once again with a vengeance earlier this month. During Labor Day weekend, a Playboy playmate body-shamed a woman working out at her gym. Lookism: body shaming.One of the original stories about this appeared at TheWrap: "The woman who Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers secretly photographed and body-shamed in a gym locker room is in her 70s, and she wants Mathers prosecuted to the fullest extent possible, TMZ reports.The site said the woman — whom police were unable to identify or … [Read more...]
Beauty varies by country/sex, but lookism still fuels surgeries.
As we try to fight lookism, we see one obvious factor supporting our cause. It is the fact that beauty and attractiveness vary by sex and by country. That is, men and women have different ideals regarding attractiveness as do people from different countries. (Not so commonly referenced is the factor that attractiveness ideals change over time, e.g., the 1800s, the 1920s, the 1950s, now).Most distressing, however, is the fact that western media (films, magazines, the internet, etc.) are spreading … [Read more...]
Lookism equal time: what makes a woman attractive?
In last week's lookism blog post, I passed on six scientifically proven tips on how men can be more physically attractive to women. In the interest of fair play, now we have six for women – all based on scientific studies presented by a respected source. Lookism originally started as men ogling women.Because of the importance of marriage to women historically, many young women have tried to figure outover the ages what makes them attractive to men. Science has recently generated many studies … [Read more...]
Lookism: what do women like in men?
The languid days of summer are upon us in America. That means there's more chance that we men will be socializing with women. Heck, some of us will even be stripping down to bathing suits on beaches.Lookism seems a natural tendency in males.Many young men try to figure out what makes them more attractive to women. A variety of studies have looked at the parts of the body women zero in on as "attractive." Five features are singled out in this videoAs the so-called science of attraction marches … [Read more...]
Less science behind lookism’s symmetry & ratios?
There may be less science to justify lookism than suggested by many studies in the past. Here's the truth about common beauty myths according to the Wall Street Journal.Apparently science produces lots of research about beauty, from ideal waist-to-hip ratio to symmetry in faces, but the conclusions are seldom as simple as they seemThe author of the just-published Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women’s Lives,” Autumn Whitefield-Madrano wrote this piece for the WSJ in mid-June:"If … [Read more...]
“Lookism” and dishonesty about ugliness.
In my last blog, I wrote about the kids edition of "Ugly." Today, I'm writing about the adult version that brings up a complicated lookism issue: can we be butt-ugly honest about the role of looks in society?Ugly & Lookism.First, let's hear from the "subject" of this inquiry, Robert Hoge.To hear Hoge tell it, he was born with a giant tumor on his forehead, severely distorted facial features, and legs that were twisted and almost useless. His mother refused to look at him when he was born, … [Read more...]