Eyebrow Shapes of Chinese Empresses of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

A quantitative analysis of the brow shape after frontalis muscle contraction

PURPOSE

To measure the changes of the eyebrow's contour after frontalis muscle (FM) contraction.

METHODS

Two consecutive pictures of the eyes and frontal region of 36 volunteers (15 men and 21 women) were obtained with the forehead relaxed and upon maximal frontalis muscle contraction. Bézier lines representing the brows' contours, obtained with the ImageJ software, were graphically sampled with a resolution of 0.025 mm. The contours of the relaxed and elevated brows were compared regarding the position of the contour peak (CP), the degree of elevation of brow central point, and the medial and lateral areas outlined between the brow contours before and after frontalis contraction. The asymmetry of the brow contour after FM contraction was calculated by the Naeije formula as (Medial-Lateral)/(Medial + Lateral). A difference of 10% or less between the lateral and medial areas was taken as a cutoff value for symmetrical brow elevation.

RESULTS

In 62 (86.1%) of the eyes, the location of the brow's CP was lateral to the brow's midpoint. When the brows were raised, the CP of 60% of the brows was displaced medially and 40% laterally. The motion of the CP with medial displacement (mean = 3.7 mm) was significantly larger than those displaced laterally (mean = 1.9 mm) decreasing the number of brows with lateral peaks from 62 (86.1%) to 54 (75%). No difference was observed between the mean elevation of the central point of the brow for males (7.9 mm (3.2 SD) and females (7.4 mm, 3.0 SD). In 58.3% of the sample, the positional change of the medial and lateral sectors of the brows was symmetrical, and among the 41.7% asymmetrical cases, the elevation of the medial side was higher than the lateral in 66.7% of the brows.

CONCLUSIONS

The brow changes during FM contraction concur well with the anatomic data of the FM shape. The contour of most brows is displaced toward the medial direction when the brow is elevated. The pattern of brow shape change is an indication of the FM anatomy and must be carefully analyzed before any procedure involving the FM, such as chemodenervation injections or frontalis slings for blepharoptosis correction.

What Did the Historical Chinese Beauties Look Like? An Analysis of Portrait and Biography of 100 Beauties (, 1792)

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to elucidate the appearance of historical Chinese beauties by analyzing Portrait and Biography of 100 Beauties (1792).The 103 women who appear in this work were categorized as historical or mythological figures, and the reason for their inclusion was classified as beauty, talent, or both. Descriptions of beauties were classified as general literary descriptions or specific descriptions of their appearance.Among them, 42.7% were depicted as both beautiful and talented, while 42.7% were only described as beautiful. The remainder were included because of their talent only. Almost four-fifths (78.6%) were described as chaste, while the remaining one-fifth (21.4%) were presented as licentious. About half (48.5%) were queen consorts, princesses, imperial concubines, or palace women. Courtesans and singing girls (17.5%) and concubines of influential officials and scholars (16.5%) followed. Forty-six women had specific descriptions of their appearance, most often of their face (33.5%), followed by their body (16.5%), manners (7.3%), fragrance (4.3%), and clothes (2.4%). The most frequent descriptions of specific attributes were found for the hair (7.4%), eyebrows (6.7%), eyes (5.5%), skin (5.5%), and body shape (4.9%). Among the 114 talents possessed by 59 beauties, the most celebrated talents were entertaining skills (42.1%), followed by literary skills (27.2%), and intelligence (21.1%). Three women were included owing to their make-up skills. Chaste beauties were depicted as more likely to have a happy fate than licentious beauties (OR: 16.8, P < 0.01).This analysis might be helpful for understanding the concept of beauty throughout Chinese history.