A Study of Preferences in Feminine Beauty

A survey of previous studies of aesthetic preferences shows little attention to examples of natural beauty and none to preferences in the field of human beauty. In inquiries using factor analysis it is necessary to distinguish different uses of the term ‘the general factor in aesthetic judgements’. In the present inquiry twelve photographs of women's faces taken in uniform conditions were ranked for ‘prettiness’ by 4355 readers of a national daily newspaper. Twenty‐two inter‐correlations between mean rankings of men and women, of four age groups, and of six regional groups were each of the order of 0·9. Conformity of opinion within groups was significantly different only for the 55 + age group who showed less tendency to agree than other age groups. Factor analysis of a small random group of individual rankings resulted in a general factor accounting for 43 % of the variance, and a small bipolar factor. Comparison of mean rankings of representative samples of five occupational groups showed that social status has little influence on preferences. Limitations of the technique of inquiry are discussed and the results are considered in the light of the hypothesis that norms of human beauty are culturally determined.