The perception of lip aesthetics in the context of facial proportions-An eye-tracking-based analysis

Influence of ethnicity on aesthetic preferences for lip characteristics in Caucasian male and female faces

BACKGROUND

In an era where globalization and social media significantly reshape beauty standards, it is imperative to delve into the subjectivity of beauty and attractiveness. The lips, a key element in facial aesthetics, contribute significantly to the perception of attractiveness, and also have a profound impact on an individual's self-esteem.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the influence of ethnicity on the aesthetic preferences for lip characteristics, among male and female faces.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study encompassed a sample of 231 study participants (153 women and 78 men) with an average age of 23.2 ± 2.8 years, representing ethnicities such as African, Caucasian, Middle Eastern, and South Asian. Participants were asked to rate a series of images showcasing various lip variants, providing insights into their aesthetic preferences.

RESULTS

Demographic analysis revealed gender and ethnic variations in aesthetic preferences for all the investigated lip parameters. Women were 2.42 times more likely than men to prefer no Cupid's indentation on a female model (p = 0.0019).

CONCLUSIONS

The study underscores the importance of understanding cultural influences on beauty standards and challenges the notion of a universal beauty ideal. The evolving role of social media trends, such as Cupid's bow indentation elimination, raises questions about the dynamic nature of aesthetic preferences among different ethnicities.

The Ideal Chinese Lip: Impact of Lip Contours and Proportions

BACKGROUND

The lips are one crucial determinant of facial attractiveness. Current studies investigating lip attractiveness were mostly conducted in Caucasians, and the results could not directly apply to Asians. Aside from lip proportions, lip contours play an important role in attractiveness but it is unclear how people perceive different lip contours. The aim of this study was to investigate the aesthetic perception of various lip shapes by Chinese to identify the most attractive lip morphology for women and men, respectively.

METHODS

303 Chinese participants were invited to rate the attractiveness of identical lip images with different contours and proportions in a young female and a young male. Stratified analyses were performed to assess the effect of gender, age and occupation on the preference of lip shapes.

RESULTS

The lips that were rated to be most attractive had a flat upper vermilion border, an M-shaped oral fissure and a U-shaped lower vermilion border in both genders. Most respondents considered an upper-to-lower vermilion proportion of 1:1 to be more attractive, regardless of the gender of the lip models, and the lip thickness-to-width proportions of 1:2 and 1:2.5 were perceived most attractive for female and male, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study adds to our understanding of how lip contours contribute to attractiveness and that Chinese have distinctive aesthetic preferences for lip morphology, which possibly stem from racial characteristics and cultural differences. With such knowledge, practitioners may better tailor the treatment strategy when performing lip rejuvenation procedures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

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