It’s good to know that science can confirm what millions of teenage girls have believed for years and might still believe now that they’ve grown up a bit. And if you can’t read the sarcasm in that first line then you might have already bought the idea that Greek science is in fact the definitive word on what real beauty is. To be fair, Jeremy Dick of MovieWeb and many others that have reported on this story likely have their own beliefs and might not fully agree any more than I do when it comes to ‘scientific beauty’ that it’s the one definitive way to mark physical beauty and who has the most of it. In a big way it’s another very biased system that says that one thing is beautiful while another is not, and another manner to make it known that celebrities are the ‘beautiful’ people while the rest of us aren’t worth noticing until we make enough of an impact on enough people around us that we finally get noticed. Yes it’s pretty cynical to say such things but it’s also kind of a joke to think that physical beauty is this easy to pin down when the concept is, to many people, something that can’t be readily defined given how many different variations and concepts of beauty there are, even when just thinking about the physical aspects of another person. This is why science and some folks aren’t that friendly when it comes to quantifying something as sensitive as an outward appearance, since it reminds people just what is considered to be beautiful by some standards while attempting to hold it up as THE standard. The whole ‘real beauty is on the inside’ argument isn’t one I’ll be getting into today since it’s a sticky, emotional mess that takes too long to play out. But talking about physical beauty is a highly subjective matter that even the ancient Greeks didn’t have a monopoly on in their day.
Rafi Letzter of Business Insider has something to say about this since in truth the Golden Ratio of Phi is perfect for those that want to buy into it, but as a universal standard it’s kind of a hoax that convinces people that the Greeks had the inside track on what was beautiful. In truth they knew what attracted people when it came to physical beauty, at least those that were willing to admit that the ratio was in fact perfectly sound and correct in stating just who was the most beautiful and why. At one point it was stated that Amber Heard was the most beautiful woman according to the ratio, but at this point it would appear that it’s Bella Hadid. Taylor Swift has even made the list and some people can’t understand how she’s even on par with several of those that are said to be the most beautiful women in the world. This kind of proves that the ratio isn’t all that great at making up the minds of those that want to idolize the most beautiful human beings since unless Amber Heard started getting slightly uglier or her facial features shifted somehow the ratio almost sounds like it shouldn’t change, and yet it does. This means that at one point another person might come forth that will take this title from Pattinson and we’ll be left wondering just how it still works since there are a few variables that might knock a person off their perch as best looking person in the world, but apart from a horrible accident or age people really don’t change that much that often when it comes to their facial features.
You’ve heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and many other euphemisms for certain throughout the years, but in truth beauty is a highly subjective term whether one is talking about inner or outer beauty. Some folks think that Lizzo is gorgeous and in truth it’d be amazing if she even qualified with the ratio, while others might cite many other stars they think of as beautiful while the ratio might deny this through its use of science. Arguing with anyone that believes Pattinson is a very handsome man is hard to do since their minds are likely to be made up without any real chance of changing them. But trying to argue that the Golden Ratio of Phi is the one definitive way to judge outer beauty is like saying that there’s only way for a celebrity to gain superstar status, there might be a formula for it and it might convince a lot of people, but it’s laughable to think that it’s the only explanation out there. The fact that anyone still ascribes to this is kind of funny since it shows a very limited scope of beauty that is bound up in appearance and nothing else.
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