Concept of beauty changing with the times
Beauty has changed from Plato's golden ratio to symmetrical features as being most attractive
Dubai: The concept of beauty has long been an issue of debate since Plato's golden ratio to recent research indicating symmetrical features as the most attractive.
Each culture and society sets its own standards for what's beautiful, but why are men and women rushing to meet those sometimes unattainable standards?
Dr Tara Wyne (pictured below), a clinical psychologist in Dubai, said: "Cross-culturally, beauty is a motivating factor for men and women that impacts attitude, directs people's choice in partners or employees, and just has a large impact across the board."
She said that within a culture people agree on certain features as beautiful and "it becomes something people from that culture will aspire to be and seek out in others".
Strength, survival
At one point, there was an evolutionary aspect to attractiveness as it was crucial to assessing strength and survival, but Dr Wyne says this concept has changed.
"Beauty is a billion-dollar industry and it has pushed people to look for beauty. It's manipulative."
She said: "People continue to seek beauty out even though it's superficial and misleading."
Successful
Studies indicating that attractive people have more successful careers and relationships also push people to attain beauty. Dr Wyne explained that the genetic lottery might give beautiful people more opportunities because they stand out based on their looks, and this makes other people groom themselves accordingly.
Dr Wyne said: "A society's perception of beauty changes from each generation to the next. At one time the hour-glass figure was beautiful whereas now it is the thin lollipop figure with a big head and thin body. The idea of beauty has become completely inverted."
