Pewseptal and Motor Skills, 1997.85 5 ® Perceprual and Motor Skil 1997 WHY BARBIE IS PERCEIVED AS BEAUTIFUL ALRERT MM. MAGRO. Feivnont State College Svnmam.—The long:term acceptance and success ofthe Botbic dei suggests the physical characteristics af the dall are peveeived as attractive. When viewed in the oneest of universal atractivenes, response to the doll rises the question of why Bit bis ie perceived oe aracti Published palsontological dita on hominid Foe ind cote how the shapes and anatomical proportions of hunians have evolsed, Inehuded in the fowls are phenotypic tus no longer pee ‘une tits that hare Become inece st in hursans(privitive) and pheno: inal prevalent fdctved. I 8 noted hat the sna twxnicil proportions of the Barbie doll are exaggerated and emphasize derived charac an form, des teristics. I wes proposed that in perception of sits are per 3 wnateaetice, Drange and traits by 499 subjects instructed t0 select the shape or proportion # rnere attractive, Thete was sgn ceive 46 atractive while primitive tts ace peeve sidered a the sabjects that derived ans: twa nits were perceived 6m seractive than primitive ones. The Barbie dolls eteative of how burman beauty has evelved and indicates elements of human fee derived evolutionary traits and, pos that appear beautiful. The doll emphasizes 0 ‘iy, ea ie why the dal is The Barbie doll was first marketed in 1959 (Boy, 1987; Lord, 1994). ‘The doll was created by Ruth Handler who, with her husband Ellor, founded the Mattel Toy Company. In 1993, the Barbie division of the com: pany exceeded the $1 billion mark in annual sales (Lubove, 1994). The success of the Barhie doll, as a marketable product, is in part a phenomenon of human perception. Marketing strategies aside, the long-term acceptance and success of the doll could be due to its physical appearance and being Perceived as arteactive by a large number of children and adults. This raises the question of whether the physical proportions and ttaits of the Barbie doll are universally attractive. sthetivians have espoused the belief thae the pleasure experienced in percciving beauty is due to an inner sense (Hutcheson, 1725/1971). It has Tong been ar lividual’s delightful reaction to countenance and Proportions of human form is innate and has aspects of universality (Kant, 1790/1951). More recent survey data have shown that there can be agree: ment among people of different cultures, a what is perceived as physically attractive (C social status, and sex as to inningham, 1986; Burns & Fa- 'Send correspondence to Albert M. Mu State College, Division of Science, Mathe fracs and Flealh Careers, 1201 Locust venus, Fairmont, WV 26854, USAbyoLenUN, NEW 304 A. 81 AIAGHOD Some of the anatomical changes associated with the development of bi pedalism are longer les, thigh bones that angle toward the knee from the cork of the polis (slightly knock Sines! nithor than bow lyse rina, 1992). However, gucstion which has not been fully answered is what is the onigin this agreement or anivesality in our perceptions of attrac " ot sce a rman ping toward che stationary foot while walkin, an appearance al plantar flex ion while walking and shifting weight co the ball of the Foot ttae haee han the eet, less curvature of the toes, and overall nemease i heft dnd more bry Sam, 2 create by gompessite photastupls Gakon, INT! of by computergenerated man, TOD are perceived #s aewctve (On the other hand, i has been argued that abou Face (which isa composite of many fxs) is attractive, eptimally aucactive faces are not necessarily average (Alley & Cunningham, 1991), Concrary to the hypothesis rated differ shgital composites SLanglots 6 Rew muscled and pronounced calves anal buttocks. Becoming kos arhoteal also re sulted in anatomical changes which include a thoray that is Ks cone shaped, les sloping shoulders, a onger neck, and ess curvatare of the fir fers. Anatomical changes associated with becoming more omnivorous i shed ¢ eller and aueromcr upper and lower jaws a stined chin. tele be oaveragencss. isital composite aes whieh eonsit of ex f hcen aad to ahve that atypical hae ence Fron the aver I fan enlace facial atactivenss, For example, the face shape judged most ces, higher check bwnes, and a shorter distance be 6 cal incisors, reduced width of the molars, incnoes anal canines that are more ateuctve bad rveen the nose ae mouth tha the svcd average face (Perret, M Yenikawes, 199. A rest furthering annderstanding spatulate, less sounded abdomen and a slimmer waistline {shaped tors, smaller chewing, muscles, loss of cranial sagittal crest, a mone triangle oF ate las inpications for ovalshaped face, a shorter distance betwoen the noe atl thy lips, and south that does ror jut ur beyond dl ofthe averanenas 8 atypiy ring the innareness, wniverality, and fan hse torthognathic rather than prog sty of hasan form. The physieal pro but rathor ace ath). Changes in the band include a longer thuinb, shorter palm, and Anightce fingers. A price depetideine om vii hus rested in larg; deepssct eyes. Changes associated with dlcereased dilleences between the sexes include less liference in museularty, less pronounced brow ridge on males, less dference in bewly size, and the desclopment of similar teth, parculrly les difference in the size of the canines, Changes relative to increased slepenslenre on iarellence are increased cranial capaci and les sloping forchead, and more vaulted bones of the temple area result, ing in a higher and more tonal significance of cot sense ol sane not a asters of the Barbie : vated Frm the norm |Pendesson & Markee, 199L sate rar ng hn hanas have evolved, The fos een higher ically prevalent in. hnmans {pin ome inereasingly prevalent levivedh. The rive has helps! stimulate the iden the Barbie doll ae exaygerated an wed shaped cranium, be bas fom how the shapes and! proportions of humans base evoked. In sis paper, reerence i Sabjas For this report. survey data were accunnlited by having 499 individuals cvaluate more than 50 fgwves. Each figate was & composite of awe pletures that were cither photographs or drawings: The tw pet ita single anatomical erat but wore similar in all cher aspects, For the fiz tures that depicted hamans, an attempt was made to present each sex with similis frequency. The «wo pictures computed were projected side-by-side fa a lye viewing sercen. One picture wa labeled A and the other B. One tna 0 published paleentleeal information abt he watomicl vo d E hat can survey the comparative attrac- 05 lileredslighly Moai Daanvings and Phutgraphs he shawings arnt photograph wed suey reactions ta campariaan of primitive ws derived a o this poper were devstoped 19 stoned teat, The most dramatic anatomical changes hat have evolved rived tits) over the list $to-4 pall years tre prumartty relate to at mereased depen fo, developoncnt of an omnivorous Mot eohanevsd manual desterity, reduced sestal dimosnhism, and a grater teliance «nt inteligence Caovejoy, 1974 Johanson & Edex, 198i; Stem & Suse ova, 1988: Tattersall, 1986 ‘Trinkaus, 1986; Simons, 1985) of the pictures represented an anazomical shape or proportion that was more served and the other one that was more primitive, No information was {Bren 10 the individuals being surveved excepe they were instructed to select the shape or proportion they considered more attractive, The derived trait Akence on visal acuity, biped teas projected with exual frequency as either Picture A or Pictare Band she indniduals being surveyed scored their preference om a Scantton sheet. Th individuals being surveyed were informed that the objective was to select the366 A.M MAGRO picture that was more attractive and that it was nor necessary to consider the scected picture absolutely attractive. ‘The portray aspects of felt Tignes being, evaluated elie noe age. ee, or enlture. Therefore, the survey sid noe adress the participants reactions to these aspects, The sutveyed individuals provided information on the Seantton shect abt dhs wnt ayes rs, 368, and cultural oxgin. The 495 individuals were surveved in Westville and Wet Lafayette, indians, The population of evalvatots consisted of 67% fe ale, 33% male, and 92% Euro-American. They ranged in age from 18 10 45 years Statstvdl Vrvtenut of Bata The individuals surveyed wore taken as « population (N=495) which produced a test statistic for each of the drawings. proportion far each test seas obtained by toulling the number of individuals whe perceived the de rived trait as mote atractive a! dividing by the total aumber of individuals in the population. When computing the propo ‘evaluators eunged from 491 to 495, thus indeating that some individuals did not respond 10 every coaspasion, The statistical method determined wheth cr there was sign ween the simple proportion and the jon, the total number of tan difference proportion {0.50} of a theoretically normally distributed population which ives no difference between a desived and primitive cai, Statistica sig nificance was asvexsed by testing the null hyperesis which states that the sample's proportion for each specific tie evaluated is not significantly dif fers sal population proxluced a significant rejection of the mull bypothesis (p the thes proportion of 0.50, If test static 05), it concluded that the tested population perecive » difference between the par ticular primitive and derived anatomical teat tested, HC the sample propor was then tion for selecting the derived erat exceeded a value of 0,30 a a significance level sulleient reject the null hypothesis, then it was concluded that the tested population perceived the derived tat as ore attuetive than the pr Resuuss Shown here are nine esamples from the drawings and pho sed in accumulating tho survey cata for thie eeport, Within each 8 two pictures which peesent mitive and desived crits, ‘The nine figures shown here are a faie representation of the 50 figures atiized in the study For the evaluation of each figure, ne information wis given to the evaluator cexcepr what comparison wis 10 be made and to sclct the one that lustor perceived as more attractive “The statistical data lor the nine figures are tabulated in Table 1. te cluded in the data are the mumber of subjects surveyed (sample), th pls proportions, and the J+ value for the tection of the null hypothesis, EVOLUTION AND BEAUTY 367 Sumer Don Anant Canin Sto Fats E19 Puotares Doral oot Hexion 3 hana abd 0 Sune we Spin: Shale 4 Squire OO191 O80) Anelalinss Aipkouw Teh 5 lad 90-02-04 sn So Shin & Lie 2498s! Sire Weak Chi 7 Stone 43549520921 se all er Linge osia93 07) Sonos Kock tcl Bow Sie > _ Kihhie 54852-0721 Sinn "Siicce lw fr rect wal ges wich ass population proportion of ah pelos DRT an tl ate DN, ie, that u theoretical population would perceive no difference between the vo pictures of a figure Fig. Vis a pair of drawings which compare longer vs shorter eps. The Fonger leps are a derived trait. T to notice the sao of the legs to the torso and lust the ratio they perceived ae more at hae In comping the ri ft i. the so. wh ers be moe stung, ening A active. The data indicate that the sample rejected the null hypothesis (p< 0005) and considered the longer legs more attractive. Fig, 2 shows a pair of esaings which co se shart and long nach. The fossil rscord shows that368 no) EVOLUTION AND BEAUTY 369 Fe 2. In comparing dhe acc, which moe arate ening A 2 = ‘our necks have become longer, making a short neck a primitive tat and a longer neck a derived trait. The data indicate that the longer neck was pee cvived ay more attractive. Fig. 3 consists of « pat oF plotogtapls iat sme Plantar foot Nexon is « derived teat ders, the square Fe4. Io comparing the shoul, which i ore atti, desing A oe BP pare dorsal and plantar foot flexi and was perceived as more attractive, In compating A B he 3. comparing he postion of he et shoulders were considered mote attractive than sloping shoulders (Fig. ‘The drawings in Fig. 5 compare eecth that angle out ws teeth that angle ing Prognathism is a primitive trait, while orthoptathism is derived. The teat that slope in and emphasize orthognathism were considered more In comparing the ratio of length of the shin to the length of the # 6), te lve shin was poreeived as more tractive. In comparing Fe. Tn comping the eth hich snore attain raving A BP Joo: of chins in Fig. 7, the nave defined or stronger chin ws a derived trait ppd was considered more attractive. The lager eyes in Vig, 8 were perceived tore attractive. When comparing slightly knock-knced to baw lepoed 9, the evaluators selected the knock-kneed drawing. m more attracive370 A.M. MAGRO Fi. 6 Tn comping he rio of the din to the thigh, which more attractive, dawing AwBe " pang the chin, which is mare atrcive, deavng Aor BP Other figures utilized in the survey are not shown here. For the pur pose of verifying consistency, there was reduedancy included in the survey tnd some of the primitive ws derived traits were presented in different for- EXLUTION AND BEAUTY am fhe. 8 ln comparing theo, wich mons racine, envi A oe Be mats, The data were consistent in showing that derived traits are perceive 10 illustrates some of the de- Barbie dol, as more atteactive than primitive teats, te iad naa henge BP32 A.M. MAGE EXULUHION AND BEAUTY wm 21964), Modern humans are che only surviving hominid. but fossils indicate that throughout its evolution the xeaus Tome coexisted with other bipedal Ihominids and closely raved qisidrapedal pongids that possessel more prim cs ere we have used puleverohagial infomation abuut ‘of humans to create drawings and photographs that «an survey the comparative atractiveness of primitive and derived eri. ‘There was signilicant agreement arsong the members of the sample sur veyed that decived anatomical traits are perceived as more attractive than primitive traits. Although syadem humass are che only surviving hominid, surviving primates of the family Pongidae are fuirly closely ecated to us. The living apes possess primitive anatomical traits. Primitive traits that surviving pongids possess include dorsi foot flexion, short shins, shot and bowed fegs, short and rounded chin, pointed and large canines, a diastema be- tween the literal incisors and the canines, gums showing above the teeth, short thumbs, long. palms, curved fingers, a longer distance between the itive phenotypic the anatomical evolu nase and lips, prognathism, and a short neck Tes conceivable that preferences for derived chatactevatts woul exert & dicectional pressure in selection that enhances phenotypic expression of de- tived traits. Also, an aversion to primitive anatomical traits could constitute 4 pressure in scletion for maintaining separateness of species and thereby sciding crossspecies mating, which poses the risk of producing sterile off- spring or affepring thar are primitive phonodypee. The Barbie doll is illustrative of how perceived human beauty has crolved and demonstrates elements of our nature that are perceived as beau: ‘ful, Examining the physical traits of the Barbie doll, it appears tll, long F epgd,slim-waisted, has long neck, curved red lip, large eyes, square shoul ders, short tors0, straight teeth with no points of spaces. smooth and bar. Els skin, plantar foot flexion, long, straight fingers, nonsloping forchesd, fit abdorsen, and is not bow-legged. Companies other than Martel have challenged the fashion doW macket with dolls that hve fey esaggerated bedy proportions (Wamer, 1991). The Happy to Be Me doll, designed and matketed by Cathy Metedig, has 2 thicker waist, shorter neck, and shorter legs than the Barbie doll, with feet that are flat rather than’ permanently slanted. Although marketed as a healthy alternative to the Barbie doll, the lappy to Re Me doll has bad lide affee on the zalee of fashion doll: (Mil er, 1991). The Barbie doll shows us what we wish to be. It emphasizes our detved evolutionary physical traits andl possibly that is why the physical ‘duracerisles of the doll are perceived as attractive, Discussion q Inerpretations of hominid fossils have been directed pelmarily cowacd the elucidation of hominid taxonomy and the phylogeny of Homo sapiens (Thorne te Wop 186; Stings # Andes. EB, Howser ince in the fossils ae traits no longer phenocypicaly prevalent in humans (primi tive) and phenotypic traits that have become increasingly prevalent (derived). ‘The dental, goathic, facial, cranial, and skeletal fossils are records of how the} Shapes and proportions of hominids have evolved (Dart, 1925; Broom, 1938 LeGroe Clark, 1950; Robinson, 1956; Brown. ef al. 1958; Tohanson, Wh & Coppens, 1978; Wood, 1991). The genus Homo fist appeared on the Af Fican contient some 2 to 3 million years ago (Leakey, Tobias, & Napier REPURENUES ‘een ie not average Bhogal Sons 21 ALIS) Bore fe fe and ian 1 of far New Yor Crown,ma A.M. MAGRC 10, whrepid apes of South Alia, Nee onda, nested i Sad ems shan ve neon sal te aaa. Joes of Poros cana ond Socal Pay ny ape of South Abc, Notre (London Hesenons F921) bw gui nt te ral of oar kor of bent end sine New Yor “Gidted. (Dnt wrk pobed n 735) Fonasge i, & Eom. M4, (198) Lay Pe Aguings of Eamontnd. New Verk: Sin & 0 978). new apes of the pu Alpi Jonsson, 8 Cy Whur TD. & Corns ent Prac Fmd fr oe Blosne of Eastern Aiea Kod 8 ‘riser of dgemene. (J. H. Berard, Teal} New York, Halt. (Orit nF W951 oft pail a8 Lose JH fehacowe LA Ls 1 5B. 10959) 80) Sol theRoaldntbropaaged Ia of Get Baten ond Vo, $373 Raver Ber, te auatnad bogepty 2 Reine nly were Pfu So Anew fol sl fen Oh Nat andi, 384, 491-49%, sf BytB68 New soe ofthe es Hoy om Leonean G0. 1974) The pat of S198) Barbie ds Sikeon Val Deh, Seeger 40) Bt fe ent ig pe Ansel. saloithicines, Vwbrok of Py re Nw tha we apy al Man esoeasou EL. & Monts, N, Ue 990) Fashion dol sepreeations of Kes of bone ‘Roca Motor Sil 9394 Peace ry My Khe teVoream, (1984) Pichl shape and ons 1 1961 The sent ofthe cnlotbcsce Sone EL (1989) Human orgs. Scover 245, 130-150. Sama) Ta Sosa RL TMG), The fe Smungan © Ay & Anonewy 11988) Ge Tsun Saou 35% 1303 Pretoria: Transl Musume nd fs evidence for the xg of ode New York: Osford User. Pes Thome, Ay & our, M. (1961) Rion “Soluden, lara of Psst! Ante, 33.331 339 Tsang, 96) The Nevndetle ad moda human ongine, Annual Revo of AN ‘Whasta, (1981, December The new Burbe-bashers. Al Wes Marketi ‘Woon. 8 I9815 Homing eral remain fo Rhehoy (Seer 8), Ket ont. Na. One, UR Clarecon Pree Fp 15 nay ip asstlacan please Hominid pod Mey