The Attractive Face

[TheLastMohican]

There has been a lot of recent discussion about attractiveness, most of which has focused on the body. How about the face? There has been a lot of fascinating research in recent years on what determines our perceptions of facial attractiveness, and it has revealed patterns relating to symmetry (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.), averageness (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.), and possibly the Golden Ratio (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.), among other factors. So what do you find most attractive in a face?

[Josephine1012]

I like it so the face has symmetry. On men, I'm really not a fan of small or short noses (because that makes the face look more feminine to me). I don't like beards or when guys get creative with their facial hair (that's a matter of grooming). The jaw line has to be defined, i find anything that can be mistaken for a double chin very unappealing. Other than that, it really has to do a lot with personality, because depending on that the person will look very different.

[rara avis]

Strong jawline, strong eyebrows, some definition and depth to the set of the eyes.

I'm not so much into babyfaces or a gamin look, in men.

[Mina]

Excerpted from my response to the male attractiveness thread:
"- Angular features. Prominent nose, but not too large or bulbous. A jaw that isn't too heavy or too slight. I don't like men with full lips, probably because of their association with femininity.
- A nice cocky smile.
- Intense eyes, strong brows."

More generally (this can apply to both males and females), some things that contribute to attractiveness for me are:
- Symmetry (Pretty important, but unless the asymmetry is obvious it's not one of the first things I'd focus on).
- Healthy skin. Smooth, clear, even, etc.
- Youth. Signs of aging are generally considered to be flaws.
- Personally, I disagree with the "averageness" thing. I won't regard an "average" person (one with common features) as being flawed, and I may appreciate their appearance and find them attractive, but... I like people who stand out a bit more; people who look more unique. Like beautiful aliens.

[TheLastMohican]

- Personally, I disagree with the "averageness" thing. I won't regard an "average" person (one with common features) as being flawed, and I may appreciate their appearance and find them attractive, but... I like people who stand out a bit more; people who look more unique. Like beautiful aliens.

Me too. I find averaged faces attractive, but in my opinion the best faces have some kind of unusual feature(s) for distinctiveness.

[dandylion]

I don't have any real preferences or specifications for an "attractive face," but I must admit I like thick/strong eyebrows, especially on a male. I also find a nose with slight crookedness or a bump is extremely endearing.

[SmileyMan]

I'm terrible at analyzing the signals I get when I see a beautiful face, but I've tried compiling a list of attractive features:
- Full lips
- "Apple" cheeks.
- Something about the lower jaw/chin. I can't figure out what.

Photo of a face I find very beautiful:

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I also find Josephine1012's face very attractive (avatar).

[greenblob]

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The "Golden Mask".

[Vagrant]

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I'm not sure how else to explain it -- that facial structure is by far the most attractive I see on women's faces. I think Josephine's avatar has it too.

[Sliderule]

I myself am a fan of big eyes and wide lips (sometimes referred to as "horsey" by my friends). In my case proportions aren't so essential, but symmetry still is to an extent. Although I wouldn't discount someone because their left eye was .001" higher than their right.

[Anreader]

It kindof looks like the Golden Mask. In men, I like a strong jaw, full eyebrows, anglo-european eyes, largish nose, with a bump down the center. I don't care much about lips so long as he has them. A slight 5oclock shadow. In women, the same things except I think fuller lips are necessary. Though no 5 oclock shadow for them, I hope.

[maxpot46]

Things that make a beautiful face IMO:

Low body fat % -- Keeps skin tight, retains proper angles imparted by high cheekbones and strong jawlines
Great skin -- smooth, small pores, few blemishes, little scarring, even color
High cheekbones
Nice eyes -- unusual color helps, symmetrically shaped and placed
Smooth, mid-sized nose (small ok on women)
Straight teeth, mostly white (though the fake white is garish)
Full lips, smooth and moist
Strong jawbone (slight ok on women)
Healthy hair

It's pretty crazy all the different things that play into beauty. Listing them out you can see why even beautiful people have certain things about themselves that they don't like.