May 23, 2010

Cheeky Bones, Jaunty Jaws and Clefty Chins

The standard of beauty has always been changing throughout history and nowadays, more than ever, due to such a high exposure to media and "attractive people", we humans are more and more worried about personal our appearance



Even when it comes to men, some of which have been known to be almost oblivious to their physical appearance, the numbers have risen when it comes to men who now are interested in improving their overall appearance.

Contrary to the current beauty standard for women which is more sexualized, in the case of men, there is an increasing push for biologically attractive traits and urveying the current media outlets that portray beautiful men, such as billboards and ads, weight loss campaigns or television and cinema shows that the current standards of beauty in men revolve around two main areas: their faces and their bodies. 



According to Science Daily, men with large jaws, flaring cheeks and large eyebrows are sexy, at least in the eyes of our ancestors, researchers at the Natural History Museum have discovered This post will focus on three male characteristics that are considered highly desirable and therefore attractive, whether all of them or only one is present.

1. High Cheek Bones

Higher cheekbones, on top of offering a more unique look when compared to an average male face, also give the impression of a more pronounced jaw. The attractiveness of this trait stems from the female preference for a less aggressive looking partner. Aggressiveness has been correlated with larger canines and smaller jaws/lower cheekbones. Actors like Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen may have gained part of their popularity due to their high cheekbones.

James Marsden is the proud owner of a perfect pair of cheekbones.


2. Pronounced Jaws


Having a pronounced jaw has also become a staple of manliness and this is also not without reason. During puberty and to a lesser degree throughout the rest of his life, the secretion of testosterone in men helps define what are called primary and secondary sexual characteristics. Facial bone definition is a secondary sex characteristic and its attractiveness comes from the evolutionary advantage gained by a female when choosing a partner that is healthy and would therefore generate healthy offspring.





3. Cleft Chins


The Cleft Chin is an inherited dominant trait which manifests itself by the formation of a cleft in the chin due to an incomplete fusion of the two halves of the jaw bone. Biologically, from an evolutionary standpoint the cleft chin offers no advantage nor any disadvantage. The sole probable reason for its apparent attractiveness is again the motif of uniqueness, diverging from the less interesting average male.


Jack Scalia is one of the first male models to feature an exquisite cleft chin