Evolution of Attraction

“No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.” -Oscar Wilde

With Class Night, a graduation party, just around the corner, girls are continuously raising the bar. Manicures, pedicures, hairstyles, hair dye, shaving, plucking, the whole nine yards. What is it that drives us to fight for the perfect Barbie body? Everyday, we're surrounded by the images of “perfect bodies” displayed by the media, but strangely, that's not it. No, even in 15th- and 16th- century Italy, women were dying their hair blond. Studies have shown that even in Iran, where the voice of the media is limited, women are actually more concerned with their body image and want to lose more weight then women in America. Incredibly enough, there's logic behind the blond bombshell.

Age- This one's easy. Men tend to be attracted to younger women because younger women are usually healthier.
Hair- Once again, it's about health and youth. Blonde hair indicates youth. Shiny and lustrous hair indicates health, and therefore, longer hair indicates many years of health.
Waist- Women with a low waist-to-hip ratio are more fertile than other women. They have an easier time conceiving a child and do so at earlier ages because they have larger amounts of reproductive hormones.
Breasts- Until recently, "bigger is better" didn't make any sense, seeing as size doesnt interfere with a womans ablility to lactate, but anthropologist Frank Marlowe suggests that because of larger breasts sagging with age, it's easier to judge age with large breasts.
Eyes- The pupil dilates when exposed to something the person likes. The size of the pupil is easiest to determine in blue eyes. Therefore, Blue-eyed people are considered attractive because it is easiest to determine whether they are interested or not.

Personally? It's evolution, and in today's world of hairdye, lipsuction, breast implants, and color contacts, none of it is true any longer. Beauty exists in all forms. And altough the media may not have started these trends, it certainly encourages them.

• 42% of 6-8 year old girls want to be thinner.
• 81% of kids 10 years old are afraid of being fat.
• 51% of girls 9-10 feel better when they are on diets.

The world has gone mad. Tomorrow night, I'm going as myself. No dye, no plastic, no faking it. I only hope that others can be brave enough to do the same.