Sexual attractiveness
Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal is how desirable a person is solely based on how sexually pleasing they are (not to be confused with relationship appeal). Various features can be attractive such as sexual dimorphism, body odor, gait, personality, humor, intelligence and looks, which in turn consists of beauty, facial masculinity, neoteny and body attractiveness, or the mere sight of the genitals. Through conditioning/imprinting, many develop attraction to nearly arbitrary features such as particular body shapes or behavioral traits, sometimes even sexual interest in non-living things (paraphilic sexual interest), with men being generally more prone to developing such interests owing to their higher sex drive.[1]
Male sexual attractiveness[edit | edit source]
Having high status can potentially lead to greater arousal to women, than any amount of height or muscle.[citation needed] But having a repulsive face will lead to a significant reduction of overall attractiveness. A repulsive face may cancel out the positive effect on status and height combined.[citation needed]
Note that the "average" face is actually repulsive to women. According to an OKCupid study, women consider 80% of men "below average."[1] This is supported by additional evidence that virtually all industrialized peoples have some degree of maxillary retrusion (a facial deformity).[citation needed]
Male facial attractiveness[edit | edit source]
The bone structure is "normal" when the maxilla is forward and upward and the cheekbones are high and forward-projecting. Any deviation from this "normal" bone structure will result in increased repulsiveness.[2]
A "normal" bone structure is not necessarily a deal-maker, but a deformed one (like a retruded maxilla) is a deal-breaker.Template:Vague
The skin can function as an attractant or a repellent. Orange skin indicates health and is attractive. Pale skin or pimples will increase repulsion.[3]
Yet another quality is the leanness of the face, with 12% being the optimal bodyfat percentage.[4]
Bluepill Sexual Subjectivism[edit | edit source]
Bluepilled people believed that there will always be girls that like different traits. This is based on Malcom Gladwell's presentation[5] on choice, variety and "people not knowing what they want". OkCupid's Data[6] demonstrated that this is only partially true, since for females, larger variance in beauty is correlated to more messages (but this can be correlated to Juggernaut law rather than beauty).
LessWrong[7][8][9] has demonstrated that there are good measures of variance of attractiveness. However data is lacking in that department, and that sub-group clustering did not exist in their article. TBD
Video example[edit | edit source]
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O42AR4SVJCs%7Cframe%7C}}
Female sexual attractiveness[edit | edit source]
Female facial attractiveness[edit | edit source]
The following traits are considered to be attractive to males:
Indicators of Health[edit | edit source]
| Trait | Biological / Evolutionary Significance |
|---|---|
| Orange skin | Signals high carotenoid intake from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, suggesting a strong immune system. |
| Red lips | Indicates good vascularization, high oxygenation of the blood, and hormonal health. |
| Clear skin | Signals the absence of parasites, diseases, and chronic inflammatory conditions. |
| White sclera | Clear, bright whites of the eyes indicate lack of systemic illness, fatigue, or aging. |
| High facial contrast | Pronounced difference in darkness between features (eyes/lips) and skin color; correlates with youth and high estrogen levels. |
Indicators of Neoteny / Youth / Paedomorphism[edit | edit source]
| Trait | Biological / Evolutionary Significance |
|---|---|
| Smooth skin | Indicates high collagen density and the absence of environmental damage or chronological aging. |
| Clear skin | Absence of age spots, blemishes, or hyperpigmentation associated with long-term UV exposure. |
| Firm skin | Reflects high elastin levels and structural skin integrity, preventing sagging. |
| Limbal rings | The dark ring around the iris; thickest in childhood and gradually thins or fades with age. |
| Red lips | Bright coloring associated with youth; lips naturally pale and lose color intensity over time. |
| Plump lips | Indicates high volume and hydration; lips naturally thin out as collagen production decreases with age. |
| High hair density | A low, full hairline and thick hair strands indicate youth and optimal metabolic health. |
| Light skin | Culturally and historically associated with youthfulness and a lack of outdoor weathered aging. |
| Light hair | Many populations experience hair darkening from childhood to adulthood; lighter hair mimics juvenile states. |
| Light eyes | Frequently associated with childhood traits in specific geographic populations. |
| Small skull | A smaller overall facial structure relative to the cranium mimics infant proportions. |
| High, prominent forehead | Corresponds to the "baby schema" (Kindchenschema), where the cranial vault dominates the smaller midface. |
| Short midface | A compact middle third of the face keeps facial proportions closer to those of a young child. |
| Large, expressive eyes | Large eye size relative to the overall face size is a primary cross-cultural driver of attractiveness and parental caretaking responses. |
| Small nose | Minimal nose bridge development and small nostrils indicate slow nasal cartilage growth. |
| Short philtrum | A short distance between the base of the nose and the top lip is a hallmark of young faces. |
| Shorter distance between nose and mouth | A highly compressed sub-nasal configuration found to systematically increase attractiveness away from the average. |
| Shorter distance between mouth and chin | A reduction in lower jaw height that preserves juvenile, pre-pubertal facial proportions. |
| Short jaw / Thinner jaw / Small chin | An underdeveloped, narrower mandible that emphasizes delicate, non-masculine skeletal structures. |
| Small brow ridge & thin eyebrows | Minimal bone protrusion above the eyes and delicate brow hair look softer and less masculine. |
| Malar and superficial cheek fat pads | Often referred to as "baby fat"; plump, localized subcutaneous fat compartments that give the face a rounded, soft contour. |
| Low-set eyes | Frequently a structural optical illusion resulting from a significantly shortened midface or jaw structure. |
General Attractiveness / Sexual Dimorphism[edit | edit source]
| Trait | Biological / Evolutionary Significance |
|---|---|
| Ogee curve | The youthful, double S-shaped curve of the cheek when viewed from a three-quarter angle. |
| High cheekbones | Prominent malar positioning that represents a structural departure from the average face shape. |
| Positive canthal tilt | The outer corner of the eye sits higher than the inner corner, preventing a drooping or tired look. |
| Marked eyebrow shape/position | Pronounced stylistic or structural deviation in the brows away from the population norm. |
| Height on the nasal side of the cheek | Localized structural volume definition adjacent to the nose, enhancing overall facial balance. |
| Hollow cheeks | Caused by thin buccinator muscles but covered by firm, youthful fat deposits that project high on the face. |
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1079063214525645
- ↑ Mouth Breathing & Facial Development
- ↑ Scott, I. M., Pound, N., Stephen, I. D., Clark, A. P., & Penton-Voak, I. S. (2010). Does masculinity matter? The contribution of masculine face shape to male attractiveness in humans. PLoS one, 5(10), e13585.
- ↑ Rantala, M. J., Coetzee, V., Moore, F. R., Skrinda, I., Kecko, S., Krama, T., ... & Krams, I. (2013). Adiposity, compared with masculinity, serves as a more valid cue to immunocompetence in human mate choice. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280(1751), 20122495.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIiAAhUeR6Y
- ↑ https://archive.fo/VELwq
- ↑ https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/X3jz5mriJeWi2uLdF/how-subjective-is-attractiveness
- ↑ https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/4yTLXdrfCb7zecwQH/the-role-of-attractiveness-in-mate-selection-individual
- ↑ https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/oDzoAA8HnBpX8Rj2k/methodology-for-predicting-speed-dating-participants
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Perrett, D. I., May, K. A., & Yoshikawa, S. (1994). Facial shape and judgements of female attractiveness. Nature, 368(6468), 239-242.
References[edit | edit source]
Video example[edit | edit source]
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72sMz2kR7iw%7Cframe%7C}}