Physical attractiveness has an important biological significance and to an extent,social significance.there was a small article in The Hindu some months ago,about a survey on the importance of beauty in their perception of people and it was found that people generally open up better to people who are conventionally beautiful than those who are not(though of course,the definition of beauty differs across cultures and people).
What constitute physical attractiveness is an interesting:
For men,a 'v' torso or atleast a proportionate torso,a slim waist and being tall constitute the main factors.Also,the face is expected to be slightly longer than the 'usual'.Also,a broad forehead and a broad jaw are generally thought to be symbols of masculinity.The importance of other secondary characteristics like the colour of the skin and the amount of muscle on the arms vary with people,though from what i have observed,in india atleast,people tend to prefer a fair complexion and muscular arms.Also,women seem to prefer an erect posture
in men.
Men dont have a universal set of protocol about women though.Different men seem to have a different idea on the attractiveness of women.While some men prefer thin females with a slim waist,others prefer plump females,though the waist to hip ratio seems to be a universal factor.Men also seem to prefer a female shorter than themselves and here,in india,a lighter skin tone though not too fair.
Essentially,people seek out mates who seem to be of better reproductive health.
I remember seeing a programme aired on discovery channel a few years ago which dealt with the same topic.It was shown that people prefer mates who are similar to themselves.ie,have similar kind of features.This is probably a evolutionary necessity to preserve one's features over generations.
'Cuteness' is another important factor which seems to be universal rather than culture-dependent,thus hinting at a common physiological reason.People and animals or anthropomorphic characters generally considered cute seem to have a larger head to body ratio,with larger facial features.This feature is seen in most of the young ones of different animals and so is a biological failsafe which ensured that the young ones of various species are cared for.
Humans also seem to have other criterion for judgement of looks such as clothes worn ,manner and like-mindedness etc.sometimes,trinkets and jewels are found to accentuate beauty.this behaviour is also seen among many animals during the mating season when some adorn themselves with items for ornamental purposes,such as leaves,shells etc.Clothes may affect the physical attractivenss of a person because they can accentuate and highlight the different characteristics by means of visual illusions.For example,vertical stripes will make a person look taller and horizontal stripes will accentuate the breadth of the torso,especially the chest.Here,in India,Full-sleeved shirts are generally worn by thinner people and half-sleeves by plumper people and this maybe because they seem to add proportion to the body.The colour of clothes worn are also important,though they vary with cultures.certain cultures seem to prefer duller shades while others seem to prefer brighter shades.
The way one talks also seems to be a criterion and this is significant because till now,humans are the only species that seem to have the concept of languages and the only species to invent them,probably.The way one talks may be a subconscious indicator of how he/she has adapted to using a recent development and hence,an indicator of stronger genes.Intelligence also seems to be a important criterion,and from the evolutionary point of view,is significant,i suppose.
And when i analyze myself,i dont seem to fit in anywhere here,lol. . .
