DATA
Enter
The Science
of Beauty
HUFFINGTON
03.17.13
Beauty isn’t just a matter of taste — it’s a science. How does
that affect Hollywood’s elite, where all faces are proportionate
and symmetrical? Or, simply put, who is prettier than whom?
You’d be surprised. Ahead, find out how geometry ranks Lena
Dunham higher than Scarlett Johansson. — Liat Kornowski
TAP FOR MEASUREMENT INFO
OVERALL SIZE
HORIZONTAL SYMMETRY
VERTICAL PROPORTIONS
1
NOSE
EYES
EARS
SOURCE: KENDRA K. SCHMID, PHD, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF BIOSTATISTICS DIRECTOR,
COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH MASTERS PROGRAMS, NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER | TAP FOR PHOTO CREDITS
MOUTH
6
9
LIPS
14
5
WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ‘SCIENCE’?
To determine attractiveness, Dr.
Kendra Schmid, assistant professor
of biostatistics at the University
of Nebraska Medical Center, uses
a formula based on 29 different
points on the face. The distances
between them are calculated, along
with symmetry and proportion.
Each calculation configures into
the total, and some measurements
carry more weight than others:
How full are your lips? (too thin
lowers the score, but so does an
overly thick pucker); how wide-set
are your eyes?; is your nose as long
as your ears?; etc. The final score
ranges between 1 and 10 — 10
being the perfect face. Most people
(non-Hollywood normals) score
around 4 and 5. Celebrities rarely, if
ever, score below a 6.
TAP CELEBS FOR INFO
3
13
17
18
11
12
21
20
19
23
22
24
25
27
28
29
10