The Centre, P.C. - Plastic Surgery Blog

Study Quantifies Ideal Female Body - Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The study, conducted by professors at the University of Regensburg using their website (known as Beauty Check in English), used photo-quality images of female figures with minutely varied parameters that were then rated for attractiveness by website visitors. The figures were derived from a single face-forward photograph of a woman in a bikini that was morphed into 243 precisely controlled figure variations. After receiving over 34,000 ratings for the figures, the psychologists used statistical analysis to identify which measurements best accounted for users' ratings. According to their research, the most important ratios for determining the attractiveness of a feminine figure were the bust-to-underbust ratio, bust-to-waist ratio, and the waist-to-hip ratio. In addition, they described an "androgyny factor," combining the most important characteristics of a feminine figure, that was found to contribute significantly to the results.

We know these ratios are important, and this research helps to explain the popularity of cosmetic surgery procedures like breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tucks, all of which contribute to maintaining the most important ratios.

The University of Regensburg psychologists have previously made other important discoveries about beauty using computer-generated models. They were responsible for debunking the "averageness" hypothesis of beauty that had gained popularity for a while. According to this hypothesis the "average" person was the most attractive. It was based on evidence that people rated a computer-averaged face more attractive than individual photographs, even of recognized beauties. And the more photographs that were averaged, the higher the faces were rated in terms of beauty. The theory seems intuitively to be false, and University of Regensburg psychologists showed why the results were skewed. It seems that, in averaging the photographs, computer software smoothed blemishes and imperfections in the skin--an effect that increased with the more source images used--and increased the symmetry of the faces. So people were selecting averaged faces not because they were average, but because they were symmetrical and had beautiful skin.

Understanding the essential components of beauty is a crucial starting place for helping our patients achieve the best possible cosmetic surgery results. If you would like to learn how we might help you, schedule a cosmetic surgery consultation at The Centre, P.C. today.