How Men and Women See Beauty Differently

Here’s an interesting take on perceptions of beauty: Business Insider reports on a survey done by Escentual.com about the perfect female face as defined by men and women. 

Credit: escentual.com

The article shows two composite faces created from ideal features selected by men and women. The amalgam chosen by men has sharper features, more defined bone structure, and blonde hair.  The womens' choice has softer features, wider eyes, and dark hair.

To me, the mens' woman (we’ll call her “M”) looks like a video game vixen, while the womans' woman (“W”) looks like someone I might actually know.  They are both striking, but W looks approachable and alive, while M looks to me like a caricature of beauty.  Of course, my perception is biased by the fact that I’m a woman, so perhaps my reaction to the faces just proves the survey’s point: that men and women see beauty differently.

Interestingly, the way that men and women see beauty affects what women ask for in the plastic surgeon’s office.  For example, when a woman comes in for a breast augmentation consultation alone, she almost always chooses smaller implants than when she comes in with a male companion.  The size difference is usually subtle, 25 or 50 cc’s, but men always seem to lean towards the slightly larger size.  Ultimately, most women are ultimately very happy with the size they choose, but it is interesting that having a man present in the room changes what she thinks she wants.

What do you think?  Do men and women really see beauty differently?  Is it a sampling error or is my perception really biased by the fact that I’m a woman?  In the article above, do men really find M more attractive on first glance?  I’d love to hear your thoughts- men and women- tweet me @anitakulkarnimd.