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...]
Measuring facial symmetry in cleft lip kids and everyday people.
How the heck did Dr. Coe manage to visualize the tangle of my oral tissue and muscle when he sewed me—Humpty Dumpty— back together? As I wrote in my memoir, "With final form and functionality in mind, Dr. Coe set about joining the two sides of my face. The union had to be exactly right so that when the scars contracted, they would not notch the red vermillion of my lip or distort the area between my lip and nose. ...All this had to be figured out fast, as tissues begin to swell … [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...]
Is it lookism to ask Santa for 2 front teeth?
A popular song, dating back to the '40s, starts with, "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth." Most of us finally got our two front (permanent) teeth as second or third graders (age 7-8 y.o.). Some new research suggests that missing or bad teeth can age a person in many ways. But, don't worry, there's hope, as the article below states. If you feel good about your teeth, you smile more. And that makes you more youthful appearing according to some studies. All this … [Read more...]
Angelina Jolie and most of us have this facial symmetry defect.
New York University plastic surgery prof Sherrell Aston says Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Lucy Liu—and even Barack Obama—have something in common, besides being famous and in the news regularly. They have “slightly asymmetrical chins,” he says, a trait they they share with almost every other person in the world. The finding holds regardless of age, sex, ethnicity or race. You and Angelina Jolie Probably Have This in Common. Dr. Aston has conducted thousands of pre-op facial exams in his … [Read more...]
Oscar Pistorius’sentencing suggests he’s a psychopath.
Finally, the other shoe has dropped. And the judge has answered our question . . . sort of. The question asked several Pistorius blogs ago was, does Oscar have psychopathic tendencies like Lance Armstrong and OJ Simpson? Because I felt I knew less about Oscar than Lance and OJ and because a different culture and criminal justice system was at work, I decided to let the judge determine Oscar's mental state. Psychopath? By sentencing Oscar to five years—much less than the ten years she might … [Read more...]
O.J. Pistorius? Another psychopath like O.J?
Judge Thokozile Masipa handed down her judgment in a South African high court on Friday. She found Oscar Pistorius guilty of "culpable homicide,'' similar to American "manslaughter." But whether it's the equivalent of American voluntary or involuntary manslaughter may be resolved when she sentences him. Judge Masipa felt prosecutors didn't make a strong enough case for premeditation which would've meant Pistorius was guilty of first degree murder. Bladerunner Pistorius During the sentencing … [Read more...]