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Loading... Survival of the Prettiestby Nancy Etcoff
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  jonesjohnson | May 13, 2008 |  Although this book claims to be a refutation of Wolf's The Beauty Myth, it isn't. Much of what the book claims to be biological fact is Euro-centric or racist and sometimes borders on pseudo-science. heina | Dec 28, 2007 | About: Guide to what humans find beautiful and attractive about each other Pros: Interesting, very thorough, well researched. Cons: Almost a bit too well researched, the multitude of facts and studies thrown about can bog the reader down. You're pretty much guaranteed to feel worse about at least one part of your appearance after reading this book. Grade: B+ (  ) charlierb3 | Jul 12, 2007 | If you are looking for an endlessly interesting book that will provide serious insight into why people present themselves like they do, this is it. Survival of the Prettiest tells in plain terms why humans like what they like in other humans, making it an enjoyable and enthralling read. Why are hourglass figures desirable? Why do women paint their lips and cheeks red? Why do gentlemen prefer blonds? These questions and more are answered here--after reading this book you will have a multitude of interesting tidbits and facts that you will feel the need to repeat to your friends for years. (  ) k8_not_kate | Jul 19, 2006 |  no reviews | add a review
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Etcoff synthesizes a fascinating array of scientific research and cultural analysis in support of her thesis. Psychologists find that babies stare significantly longer at the faces adults find appealing, while the mothers of "attractive" babies display more intense bonding behaviors. The symmetrical face of average proportions may have become the optimal design because of evolutionary pressures operating against population extremes. Gentlemen may prefer blondes not so much for their hair color as for the fairness of their skin--which makes it easier to detect the flush of sexual excitement. And high heels accentuate a woman's breasts and buttocks, signaling fertility. Is beauty programmed into our brain circuits as a proxy for health and youth? In marked contrast to other writers like Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth), Etcoff argues that it is, noting, "Rather than denigrate one source of women's power, it would seem far more useful for feminists to attempt to elevate all sources of women's power." --Patrizia DiLucchio
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:22 -0400)
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And in response to another review: I did not find it ethnocentric at all. It talks about the biological possibilites for why humans prefer certain types across the board, and skims over the cultural reasons why other types are preferred in different regions of the world. This book is not a Bell Curve for the style set. It does, however, explain why exaggeration of certain aspects of appearance can seem grotesque to one gender or culture and exceptionally beguiling to another. i.e: Pam Anderson as sex bomb. (