Western Culture seems so obsessed with beauty that a pertinent question might not be what it is, but why it is so important to us. Scientists believe that beauty serves a biological purpose: To ensure the continuation of the species by highlighting an individual’s “mateability.” Deep in our evolutionary past, before the invention of blood tests and medical exams, observation was the only way to determine whether a woman or man would be a capable bearer or guardian of offspring.
Women with unblemished skin, symmetrical features, lush hair, good posture, and a waist-to-hip ratio of between 67-80 were seen as disease-free, strong, and reproductively capable. Men with above average height, good posture, and well-developed muscles were seen as powerful, fierce, and able to protect their family
Early humans cared less about overall female weight than the did about a woman’s waist-tohip ratio, which many medical experts believe is a better visual indicator of health and the capacity for successful child-bearing.
Modern ideals
Today, as Earth becomes more and more overpopulated, continuation of the species is no longer a concern. We have in vitro fertilization, fertility drugs, and other medical ways to boost a woman’s fertility, and it is rare that a man must physically protect his family from menacing marauders. So why do we still hold fast to earlier physical ideals? Because that’s the way we evolved, say scientists. In other words, old ways die hard.
