dkomo  wrote in
news:bv4fcn$2sps$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org: 

> Tim Tyler wrote:
>> 
>> dkomo  wrote or quoted:
>> 
>> > The main point being that if beauty was genetically important there
>> > wouldn't be dramatically different concepts of beauty across
>> > various cultures.
>> 
>> That's an argument against there being a single objective standard
>> of beauty.  It doesn't mean beauty doesn't matter genetically.
>> 
>> As with other species, it seems reasonable to expect that beauty is
>> indicative of a genotype that is of reasonable quality and is
>> resistant to common parasites - and as such is a marker for valuable
>> genetic traits. 
> 
> What are you talking about?  If one culture -- ours -- finds tall
> slinky women desirable -- supermodel types -- and another finds small
> fat women desirable, and yet another loves big women with fat asses
> and small boobs, then how can beauty be a consistent marker for
> valuable genetic traits?  What you seem to be saying is that women who
> are tall and skinny, or small and fat, or those who are of Amazonian
> proportions with fat asses and small boobs, are those who are
> reproductively most fit.
> 
> Does this make sense?  Or rather is the sensible conclusion that
> standards of beauty in humans are arbitrary and culturally determined
> and have little to do with genetic markers.  I would also opine that
> beauty is a memetic phenomenon and that beauty memes can evolve
> independently of any biological considerations.

Well there are certainly a lot of cultural effects - look at types of 
ornamentation favored by different cultures. But there is considerable 
cross cultural agreement as to attractive faces - I found numerous 
references in a fairly brief search on the subject. Similarly a low waist 
to hip ratio is fairly universally considered attractive in females, even 
if the overall weight considered attractive varies. Within cultures there 
is general agreement by individuals as to standards of beauty, and the 
differences between cultures may reflect actual differences in importance 
of different features within that culture. For example, in cultures with 
frequent periods of drought, the ability to store fat is important. In 
cultures where food suppies are adequate but require frequent seasonal 
migrations, excess weight is a liability. 

Yours,

Bill Morse
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