Artikel
The IMPACT of Geographic, Ethnic and Demographic Dynamics on the Perception of Beauty
Suche in Medline nach
Autoren
-
P. Niclas Broer
- München, Deutschland
-
Sabrina Juran
- Bevölkerungsfonds der Vereinten Nationen (UNFPA), Technische Abteilung, Daten und Forschung, New York, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika
-
Marc Walker
- Yale School of Medicine, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, New Haven, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika
| Veröffentlicht: | 3. September 2014 |
|---|
Gliederung
Text
Goals/Purpose: Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, but, influenced by the individual’s geographic, ethnic and demographic background and characteristics. In plastic surgery, objective measurements are used as a foundation for aesthetic evaluations. This study assumes interdependence between variables such as country of residence, gender, age, occupation and aesthetic perception.
Methods/Technique: Computerized images of a model’s face were generated with the ability to alter nasal characteristics and the projection of the lips and chin. A survey containing these modifiable images was sent to over thirteen thousand plastic surgeons and lay people in 50 different countries, who were able to virtually create a face which they felt to be the aesthetically “ideal” and most pleasing. Demographic information about the interviewees was obtained.
Results/Complications: Values of various aesthetic parameters of the nose were described along with their relationship to geography, demography and occupation of the respondents. Interregional and ethnic comparison revealed that variables of country of residence, ethnicity, occupation (general public vs. surgeon) and gender correlate along a threeway dimension with the ideal projection of the lips and the chin. Significant interaction effects were found between variables of country of residence or ethnicity with occupation and gender of the respondents.
Conclusion: What are considered the “ideal” aesthetics of the face are highly dependent on the individual’s cultural and ethnic background and cannot simply and solely be defined by numeric values and divine proportions. As confirmed with this study ethnic, demographic and occupational factors impact peoples’ perception of beauty significantly.
