Human Variation / Beauty - 11/24
Sexual and Social Selection
Sexual selection - a mechanism of evolution in which members of one sex choose mates of the other sex to mate with, and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex (intrasexual selection)
Social selection - a parallel theory to sexual selection defined as a selective force that occur when individuals change their own social behaviors responding to signals sent by members of the same species in way to influence the other individuals fitness. This can cooperative tactics and complex social phenomena that alter the reproductive landscape
Attraction and Beauty
Attraction - the process of mate selection based on a host of sexual selective traits. some of which map onto indicators of good health
The complex cultural practice of beauty is a construct that operates not only at the level of based biology but involves aesthetic and symbolic elements that emerge as both group-level and idiosyncratic expressions of cultural values
Universal - ish Beauty Traits
There aren’t a lot of universal when it comes to perceptions of beauty and aesthetics, but there are a few patterns that we can find across most cultural contexts, even if they aren’t universally applied for every individual
Facial symmetry - bilateral symmetry between the left and right sides of the face
Good health - signals; clear skin, shiny hair
Averageness - poorly defined, but includes the notion that one’s appearance falls within a range of normalcy
Neanderthal Beauty Practices
Joan Zilhao argues recovered artifacts from Cueva de los Aviones and Cueva Anton in Spain reveal instances of shell jewelry and bodily adornment practices at around 50,000 years ago
Pigments found in association of the shells point to use as a form of early cosmetics
Red and yellow ochres
Modern Beauty Industry
For modern Homo sapiens, the practice of adorning one’s appearance with dyes, pigments, cloth, metals and other assorted accessories now includes a bevy of cost-scaled daily washes, scents, makeup kits with online tutorials form influencers
The global beauty industry in 2025 is to generate 677 B USD in revenue and is on track to close in on 1 T USD in 2030
Skincare and haircare (personal care) products were the 2 largest categories of purchase in 2023 combined making more than half of revenue (overall 61% of the overall market)
Individuals aged 30-39 spent just under $9,800 on average for beauty products, followed by 20-29 year old’s, with another drop for 40-49 year old’s
Beauty Concept Across Cultures
There are a handful of stable characteristics that appear across cultures, more defining attributes of beauty operate within specific cultural frameworks, often tied to complex histories that involved the dynamics of class, gender, health and contact with other groups
Kayan Women of Myanmar
In Myanmar, Kayan women often adorn themselves with bronze rings
The coiled rings worn around the neck are a traditional component of Kayan beauty practice that is undergoing a process of cultural change
Cranial Modifications in the Andes
In the Andes, cranial elongation - a specific modification practice employing wrappings or bindings around the skull, often in conjunction with wooden boards - achieved the shaped effect
Among the Mangbetu
Until the 1950s and 60s when the practice began to wane, the Mangbetu of Congo practiced a similar form of cranial wrapping, producing an elongation of the neurocranium
This practice was largely annular, involving only wrappings, contrasted against tabular practices that involved rigid boards
Bodily Scarifications, Chambri Tribe (Papua New Guinea)
The Chambri of Papua New guinea are one of many groups of utilize intentional scarification to adorn the bodies of men aged 11 to 30
The process requires intense preparation - 6 weeks in a Spirit House or Haus Tambaran and only medicinal herbs chewed for pain relief
The resulting effects mimics the scale of patterns found in local crocodile species and is considered a sign of strength and resilience