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Mackenzie Freeman
Mrs. Griffin
English 1010
12 December 2015
Annotated Bibliography:
Evolutionary Biology Determines Our Subconscious Standards of Beauty
"What Do YOU Find Beautiful?" Cultural Beauty. 19 Oct. 2011. Web. 18 Dec. 2015.
<https://culturalbeauty.wordpress.com/>.
This article was a blog done in a first person format by a young lady named, Ruby. She
had decided to research different values of beauty based on culture and if there was any common
criteria or ideals. She had done extensive research for her high school research paper over a
period of time. Looking at and comparing different countries, tribes, areas, cultures, etc and their
ideas of beauty she was able to present to her audience a diverse world of beauty standards from
a mostly unbiased point of view. Some of the beauty ideals Ruby had explained were: nose
plugs, lip plates (large plates inserted in the bottom lip), tattoos, waistlines, and teeth.
This blog may not necessarily be very credible seeing as though it was written by a high
school student in a blogging format. I also was unable to find the sources Ruby had used to gain
the information that she had put together. However, I believe that it could be of good use as
another resource since it was extended research and unbiased. The blog presented a lot of
valuable information and diverse viewpoints and comparisons. Also, all of the cultural norms of
beauty actually exist in the world today. Ruby had posted visuals to allow her readers to actually
see what a nose plug or scarification looked like. I looked up each of the standards and found

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credible resources explaining the truth of each one so Ruby had given solid evidence and
explanation.
This blog was easy to read and very interesting. By making it in first person format the
readers are able to follow along feeling as though they are having a conversation with Ruby. I
also really liked her entry on how cultural norms change constantly. A society fad or ideal would
only stick for a short period of time and trends would come and go quickly. I would want to use
this article not only because of the examples of beauty in different regions and societies of the
world but also because of the input and comparisons she made between each culture. For
instance in Western societies we find it beautiful to be (unrealistically) thin while in places such
as Brazil or African countries its far more beautiful to be voluptuous. Both, however, thin or
curvy, show a sign of wealth and give off the impression of health. I would use a lot of the
information given in my research paper. Ruby used specific examples of beauty rather than
broader topics such as the ones used in the other articles (like averageness).

Feng, Charles. "Looking Good: The Psychology and Biology of Beauty."Journal of Young
Investigators. 1 Dec. 2002. Web. 18 Dec. 2015. <http://legacy.jyi.org>.
This article talked about what people naturally look for when deeming someone
attractive. It all began in Greek and Roman culture, trying to find the perfect proportions that
make a person beautiful. However, the author (as well as many scientists) discovered that its not
the proportions, but the symmetry. The reason behind this has to do with the biology and
ancestry of people. Way-back-when a more symmetrical face meant that the person was actually
healthier and had better genes. Therefore, the good genes would be passed down and mostly free
of disease or illness. Males and females each have their usual preferences in the opposite gender.

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For instance males usually look for a woman with a larger hip ratio, larger eyes, smaller nose,
defined cheekbones, and youthful or infant-like. Females can either find a more mature or
masculine male attractive or, during menstruation, prefer a more softer look. Another point made
in the article was how people who are deemed as beautiful do tend to be more successful and
confident. In reality though, as the article stated, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and success
comes from self-confidence.
This may not be the most credible resource to choose when doing a research paper. The
article was written by a college student and simply put as a tiny website. Also, most of the
information could be deemed as biased, the author even said so himself, and Westernized. While
most western cultures see thin as beautiful others see curvy as something desirable. I would go
more in depth and research more on how different cultures see beauty and the similarities
between all of them. However, the student was from Stanford University, a very prestigious
research institution, and their points were valid and had a lot to do with my topic; how beauty is
associated with biology.
The article was very fascinating and kept my attention drawn in. I not only would find the
section on symmetry useful but also how certain traits (physical or mental/emotional) continue
pressing on as attractive even though society continually changes. For instance: someone who is
kinder, has better symmetry, and is confident in themselves is deemed as more attractive than
others. Feng also pointed out at the end how beauty actually does matter because it pervades
society and affects how we choose loved ones. In the end the author noted that to be beautiful
one should be healthy and in turn become happy. Feng mostly focused on one common attractive
trait whereas a few of the other articles touched on some of the other attractive traits.

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"Physical Attractiveness, Facial Beauty." Evolutionary Psychology Research Group of Pecs.
Web. 18 Dec. 2015. <http://www.evolutionpsychology.coml>.
This article talked mostly on how changing certain traits and how that affects the
viewers perception of beauty. For example, averageness. The more average the features of the
face the more attractive the person was perceived. On the other hand, if even one small trait was
to be enlarged or made smaller the person would be deemed as less attractive. Theres also the
subject of how the market has affected beauty. At certain time periods a more mature face is
beautiful while others a softer look is wanted. The researchers also used hair as a key study in
facial attractiveness. They found that women with long or medium hair were deemed as
wealthier and healthier even if they werent as attractive.
I believe that this article is credible and an excellent source to use in my bibliography. It
not only mentions the main point that many of the other articles do but it also makes way to new
ideas that fit the category well. I was unable to find that author or the date but the article seemed
as though it was apart of something bigger. Yet, the specific section had its own bibliography of
reliable sources, most of which werent even from the internet.
I liked how the article touched on not only the advantages hairstyle but how people try to
use the more attractive hairstyles. For instance: women who are seen as more attractive tend to
change their hairstyles more frequently. Whereas women who deem themselves as unattractive
usually have long or medium length hair, the style of hair that is seen as more attractive. This
means that women will opt for a certain hairstyle to move into a specific and advantages
category. Unlike the other articles of facial attractiveness this article pointed out hair rather than
just facial features.

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"The Evolutionary Psychology of Facial Beauty." PubMed. 2006. Web. 19 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov>.
This abstract was focused on facial beauty and how cultures find similar traits attractive.
The three main points were: averageness, symmetry, and sexual dimorphism. These three are
attractive to both male and females. The research suggests that the more attractive traits are of
greater choice because they give off signals of mate quality, such as good health or success. Of
course there are other ways one can choose a mate or perceive beauty based on the individual.
A credible source but unfortunately there was no author given or no sources listed. This
problem was due to the fact that this was, in fact, an abstract. However, I believe it to be credible
since it corresponds to other research articles that I have seen and it is found on PubMed, a
medical and researching online library where many articles are placed.
I would only use a small amount of information from the abstract, seeing as though there
isnt a lot of information to go off of. Fortunately it does mention the three key traits that both
male and females from diverse cultures find attractive. It also mentioned that the more attractive
the person the healthier they are and therefore most likely to find a mate and reproduce. This one
was like the others in that it was just on the main points of facial attractiveness that everyone
finds beautiful.

Taube, Aaron. "These Photoshopped Portraits Show How People Define Beauty In 19 Different
Countries." Business Insider. 26 June 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.businessinsider.com>.
A researcher by the name of Esther Honig sent a portrait photo of herself to 20 or more
countries and told photoshoppers to make her beautiful, however they defined the term. This

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project was to see how different cultures defined beauty and how separate societies saw or
advertised it. Her original portrait is from her shoulders up. She has fairer skin with some
blemishes and no makeup present. She also has her dark brown hair in a messy bun
complimented with fly aways. Some of the edits were either very similar to the original or
completely different. The edit that was closest to Honigs was photoshopped in Bulgaria. In
Bulgarias portrait Honig was only changed by airbrushing away blemishes, lightening her
darker eyes, and taking away the loose hairs and flyaways. Basically touch-ups. Indonesia did
something similar except they made her whiter. The Philippines was the greatest transformation.
Her skin was darker and clear of all blemishes. Her face was also covered in makeup: contoured,
brown eyeshadow and mascara, and deep red lipstick. She had diamond stud earrings as well as a
golden necklace. The even greater transformation was that her hair was entirely different. It was
put down in black, flowing, curled hair cascading down her shoulders.
I believe that the article is credible. It isnt the article that Esther Honig wrote but the
Taube did well in explaining what Honigs experiment was. I also looked up Esther Honig and
who she was. Shes actually a bilingual traveller and radio journalist who believes that everyone
has a story. She also likes to research so her project of different photoshopped ideals of beauty
fits right in with what she does. Also, Business Insider is reliable in that its more of a news
centered website.
I thought this article was very interesting. I was intrigued that it wasnt just writing but
the author put the words into pictures. Each photoshopped portrait speaks for itself. The viewer is
able to look at the picture, compare them, and see just how different each culture really is from
the next. I would use this article. However little wording there is and even though it was just on a
business website there can be information used for my topic. I would simply look more into

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seeing what aspects are seen in almost every photoshopped portrait. This article of slide show
was similar to the first article in that it used a lot of visuals rather than words.

DeBruine, Lisa, Benedict Jones, and Anthony Little. "Facial Attractiveness: Evolutionary Based
Research." The Royal Society. 2 May 2011. Web. 18 Dec. 2015.
<http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org>.
This lengthy article was focused on how people not only find others attractive but how
they find a mate. The article went in depth on several key points such as, symmetry, sexually
dimorphic shape cues, averageness, skin colour/texture and cues to personality. These were all
traits that are seen similarly attractive in many, if not all, cultures. The authors also brought in,
not only broader topics, but individual preferences. These are the reasons why people have such
preferences: hormone levels and fertility, own attractiveness and personality, visual experience,
familiarity and imprinting, social learning. All of these things help people to categorize others
and find mates and other social partners.
The credibility of the article comes from the fact that very extensive research was done to
find all of the information about this topic. There were three authors so different point of views
were used as well as more brain power and ideas. There were visuals to better represent and
illustrate each topic and main idea that helped the reader better understand the message. There
were very few to no errors in spelling or grammar. The authors used biology and evolution in
their research article that a lot of the other articles didnt really touch base on.
I would for sure use a lot of things from this article. Not only did they talk about the main
points of why cultures see certain traits as attractive but they also touched on how individuals
biologically find someone attractive. Like the article of Physical Attractiveness and how it talked

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about hairstyles and not just the usual facial features, I felt like this article wasnt just
regurgitating old information and if it was then it did so in a thorough and well informing
manner.

What Makes a Pretty Face? The Biological Basis of Beauty. The Triple Helix Online. 28 Sept.
2011. Web. 9 Jan. 2015. <http://triplehelixblog.com>.
This article, like many of the others, was about the science behind facial beauty. Some of
the facial traits that people find attractive can be seen throughout many cultures. The science
behind this is that all of it comes from evolution and natural selection. For instance, a
symmetrical face is a sign of good genes and health. If someone is seen as healthy then they
would be a good mate that would be able to pass down their good traits to their posterity. This
article also talked about the preferences of both males and females and how a females
preference differs based on the menstrual cycle. People are also continuing to evolve in the sense
that certain facial features that are deemed as attractive will continue being passed on therefore
evolving the human race.
I find this source to be credible because a lot of the information is seen in other articles
and the ideas do makes sense/correlate with the subject. The author also has a good amount of
reliable sources so their research would be correct. The website, The Triple Helix Online, is a
blog of global forum where researchers and scientists can learn more about subjects and also
post articles for others to see. When I looked over I found that this specific article was number
four on the most popular list so that means many people, of course, have seen this and were
interested in the new insights it gave.

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I would definitely use this source because of the different idea it had. It didnt just talk
about what females and males prefered (like the others) but it talked about why. For instance,
men find a more youthful looking female to be more attractive because age correlates with the
ability to reproduce. Females eventually lose their ability to have children so it would make
sense as to why men would be attracted to women who are more youthful (or look youthful).
Females who have higher oestrogen levels are seen to be more feminine, healthier, and attractive.
Women also like a male with high levels of testosterone yet too much masculinity can seem
daunting or intimidating. However, females find more masculine males more attractive when the
conception risk is high.

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