Science

In a previous article that addressed a literature review of correlates of facial beauty such as averageness, femininity and fluctuating asymmetry (random component of bilateral asymmetry), I posted toward the end a series of pictures of nude women, and asked which of them would be rated as having the most attractive physique by most people.  The pictures were taken from the photography of Akira Gomi.

Some comments on the relatively smaller feet of women.

This is something that I should have posted a long time ago, but didn’t come across suitable data until now.

Shortly ago, I came across a good study^{(1, pdf)} that I should have had ran into an year ago, but strangely missed it.  It clarifies an argument that I have been making by mostly contrasting Europeans with non-Europeans.  This study has shown the existence of an aesthetic preference for placement along the overall ancestral-to-derived discriminant within an European population (Italians), and it employs the proper way of measuring face shape.

Lassek and Gaulin analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), which was conducted by the US National Center for Health Statistics from 1988 to 1994.  They reported that women with lower waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) had higher intelligence and smarter children.^{(1, pdf)}  WHR decreases with increasing femininity and also lesser body fat as one goes from obese to normal.  So have the authors shown a relationship in women between intelligence and femininity (assessed by distribution of body fat) or between intelligence and degree of body fat or between intelligence and both amount plus distribution of body fat?  Let us see.

Since this issue has come up repeatedly, it should be addressed in an article by itself.

Rhinoplasties (nose jobs) are among the most difficult cosmetic surgical procedures and unfavorable results are not unusual, making a number of patients seek additional rhinoplasties to correct the deficits of the first one.  People considering a nose job and cosmetic surgeons in particular should be aware of four types of nose deformities that predispose to unfavorable results.^{(1, pdf)}

The previous entry on the Marquardt Phi (golden ratio) mask application pointed out that Marquardt’s methodology doesn’t adjust for size before comparing shape.  We now consider how to adjust for size as well as other standardization procedures prior to comparing shape.

Whereas it is clear that Marquardt’s Phi mask, derived from the golden ratio or divine proportion, is inconsistent with the optimal esthetic preferences of most people on multiple counts, it is necessary to also address issues as in the image below.

The golden ratio -- also referred to as the divine proportion, Φ (Phi), golden mean or golden section -- is illustrated below.