Relative and absolute standards of attractiveness
D&PS: In your opinion, what makes a face attractive? And why do you think that?
Hong: Personally, I got a lot of inspiration from David Perrett’s book In Your Face. Perrett says that there are two types of beauty; absolute beauty and relative beauty. Absolute beauty does not change across time periods, races, regions, etc. and is seen beautiful by all humans. The intrinsic idea of what is beautiful does not change. Many people pick the same two dogs when asked to pick the handsome one and the ugly one out of a group of dogs. This shows that absolute standards of beauty exist, not only when we view fellow humans but animals as well. Symmetry plays an important role in determining the absolute beauty. And averageness of the face is also important. On the other hand, relative beauty changes based on the region, race, time period, gender, culture and trend, etc. We tend to find strangers who resemble our family members or friends more likable. Women are drawn to masculine men and men find feminine women desirable. In this light, I think the skin and hair fall in the absolute beauty category as people always find clear complexion and luscious hair beautiful.
Choi: I think it would be a bit far-fetched to define skin conditions as the absolute standard of attractiveness. Personal preferences play a role in what is considered beautiful skin. In the early 20th century, freckles were thought to be attractive among Caucasians. I think people veered away from the monotone skin of the face and found multicolored skin tone more interesting. But Koreans tend to prefer a clean look and try to remove all imperfections including freckles and spots. In South East Asia, the upper class have a lighter skin color and people find a lighter skin tone more attractive. Dr. Hong mentioned that the average of one’s cultural group is accepted as beautiful but the above examples show that characteristics that are different from one’s culture are also deemed attractive. This is a very complicated notion.
Hong: In the past, it took a very long time for a new and different culture to be accepted. But now with the increased interaction smong various cultures around the world, people are more accepting of differences. Thanks to better technology and transportation, the boundaries between different cultures are disappearing. Therefore, rather than seeing foreign features attractive, I think the foreign culture that is seeped into our culture is affecting the standard of beauty.
Rhee: I agree. The theory of averageness, symmetry, etc. are mentioned when one discusses standards of attractiveness but these aspects are not always relevant. These concepts may be part of a propaganda. We should not define attractiveness based on a single standard to avoid the pitfalls of propaganda. From my face morphing study, a mixed-race woman was seen as more attractive than a single-race woman by all races. In other words, the people in the West currently view large lips, darker skin (like the Black race) and a slight protrusion of the mouth, slanted eyes, pronounced cheekbones and angular lower jaw (like the Asians) as beautiful. On the other hand, Asians think a fair skin tone, large eyes, high nose bridge, small and narrow outline of the face, etc. (like Caucasians) are attractive. The current trend prefers a sort of a fusion of different racial characteristics where Eastern and Western features are combined to create a familiar, yet exotic look.
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Choi: I would like to add that what is considered attractive is connected to political and economical reality. From the 17 to early 20th century, there was a strong West dominance in the world. However, as the political, economic and cultural dynamics change, other cultures have come into light and are seen as attractive. I hear that people in many Asian countries receive procedures to look like Korean celebrities. What the public thinks as beautiful according to their political, economic and cultural standards at a given time may not always coincide with what is generally thought as attractive. I think the doctor has to make a choice between following the trends and following the objective standards of attractiveness.
Rhee: This may be unrelated but I think the mass media plays a key role in who gets the cultural authority. Korea’s medical market benefited from the Korean wave (global popularity of Korean pop music and TV shows, etc.).
Hong: That is true. In the early days of Korean plastic surgery, large eyes and a high nose bridge (as in Caucasinas) were thought to be beautiful. Nowadays, people prefer natural looks. They want subtle changes while keeping their Asian features.
Rhee: Another leading trend is the dynamic plastic surgery which considers the changes in facial expressions. A face that has received many dermal filler injections may appear pretty when still but unnatural when making facial expressions. This is the type of treatment outcome that patients are most dissatisfied with. Now the patients have come to expect facial movements to be beautiful as well, not just their static, expressionless face.
Hong: I don’t think focusing on natural facial expressions is an established trend yet. Most people prefer a smile to a frown. I think the advancement in medical technology allows us to create more attractive facial expressions with surgery.
-To be continued
