Concepts of Beauty

Paper Summary:

Notwithstanding the adage, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," to explain why some humans appear more attractive than others, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature to identify what scientific basis there is for making determinations of beauty and how this can be applied to fashion models today. A discussion of the criticisms being directed against beauty pageants and their directors is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

From the Paper:

"We have all seen it: the New Miss America proudly walking down the runway, tears streaming down her humble face as she displays her crown and scepter -- showing the whole world exactly what it takes to be considered "beautiful." Some researchers, though, say the swimsuit-and-scholarship competition promotes an "ideal of female undernutrition" by crowning ever-skinnier contestants. A member of the staff at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health said, "Clearly there is a trend toward undernourished winners." In a recent analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, scientists examined the decline in body mass index (BMI) scores among contest winners since first Miss America won the title in 1921. The winner of that contest had a BMI of 20.4. The "BMI reflects a person's weight divided by height to arrive at a number indicative of weight-related health" (Vergano, 2002, n. pag.)."

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