What Makes a Face Beautiful

Cosmetic Surgery Gone Wrong

It is difficult to determine what makes a face beautiful. Certain characteristics like eyes, lips, and cheekbones tend to be important factors. Science says they have found the answer in facial symmetry. However, many photographers do not agree.

Cosmetic Surgery Gone Wrong

Nigel Parry who works for Vogue and photographed celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow feels beauty resides in imperfection. He believes that what makes a face beautiful is something unusual. Features which Parry cites as important are uneven eyebrows and big eyes.

Cosmetic Surgery Gone Wrong

George Zimbel who photographed Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe says there is no rhyme or reason to beauty. He admits it's the personality which generally makes beauty pop.

Cosmetic Surgery Gone Wrong

Patrick McMullen who has worked with Nikki Taylor, Kate Moss, Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Hurley, and Michelle Pfeiffer cites Pfeiffer as his favorite beauty. He also lists Roberts and Hurley, but says that Pfeiffer's look is stunning.

The CEO of Ford Models, Katie Ford, agrees with the scientists in that symmetry is key. When scouting, she looks at nose, eyes, and lip symmetry first. However, she does recognize uniqueness believing an edge is necessary to succeed in the fashion industry.

Researchers believe a perfect face can be created. Using a complex set of calculations and measurements, they believe a mathematical formula is the answer. They cite research they conducted which found that the most symmetrical faces lost their virginity earlier. They conclude the more symmetrical your face, the more desirable you may be.

However, these calculations are not followed by the fashion or medical industries. These measurements are seen instead as loose guidelines for proportion. Harmony and balance are instead the leading concerns. A professor of plastic surgery at the University of Iowa, John Canady warns the human body is not stagnant. It is constantly stretching and moving. Therefore, a strict mathematical formula does not seem appropriate. Plastic surgery is not only a science but an art as well.

What is beautiful on the inside does show on the outside. When people are happy and healthy, they glow and look vibrant. In general, people consider a smile to be much more flattering than a frown.

Beauty to a large degree is a matter of perspective. Different cultures value different features. Especially as diversity increases, there will be a larger range of what is considered beautiful.

What Makes a Face Beautiful

Cosmetic Surgery Gone Wrong