Unless you are a twin, chances are you possess your own unique combination of physical characteristics. In addition to this, you may have developed your own sense of style or know which way to present as the most aesthetically pleasing for yourself. As people are drawn to many different combinations of aesthetics and physical features, one may wonder, what are the implications of these preferences on society? And where do these preferences come from? Research suggests that traits we may find pleasing depend heavily on the context of one's cultural environment as well as on biological processes. Depending on if someone displays conventionally attractive traits given the context in which they are desired, this person may experience preferential treatment leading to them being presented with more opportunities and positive assumptions about their character. This social phenomenon deemed 'pretty privilege' is discussed within a psychology magazine article titled "What Is the Psychology of Pretty Privilege?" as written by the Psychologs admin. In this article, details on the psychological mechanisms providing the social effect of 'pretty priviledge' are given.
It is suggested that this bias can come from evolutionary desires: for example, physical fitness is something considered attractive in organisms across all ecosystems in choosing a mate as it allows for the production of healthy offspring. Humans are no different in this sense. This can be seen throughout history as societies plagued with food scarcity may have seen biological markers such as higher body fat percentage to be more desirable because it means that person may have an abundance of food resources and/or can survive longer without food. In addition to this, it has been revealed that facial symmetry and body ratio proportions also show a pattern in attraction. According to an article titled "The Science Behind Why We Find Certain People Attractive" by Dina Cheney, "research has also shown straight men prefer women with a waist-to-hip ratio of about 70%" and this is justified by the fact that most women who vary from that percentage are more likely to have issues such as pregnancy loss and may be susceptible to certain diseases and problems with fertility. However, this article does note that this finding is based on relatively small groups of mainly white people so it doesn't address the possible disparities between people of other races or represent the overall population. This is important to understand as within social context, the different expression of race and any prejudices surrounding it may also be a deciding factor in whether one is considered to have 'pretty privilege' and the levels in which they may experience it.
This conversation can also be connected to research on social polarization detailing that aesthetic preferences are dependent on two visual variables: symmetry and complexity. This study, titled "Social groups and polarization of aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity" as presented by Norberto M. Grzywacz (et al.) originally hypothesized that most people prefer images with high symmetry and low complexity. This was tested through using a method in which participants were given a range of images to assess, created algorithmically to vary in levels of symmetry and complexity. Participants then rated which images they preferred most on a scale of 1-10. The results of this experiment didn't support their original hypothesis, with the finding being that most subjects formed two distinct "islands" of preference. One island consisted of images that were high symmetry, regardless of complexity and the other that showed preference for low-complexity, regardless of symmetry. The formation of these islands also seemed to be influenced by gender as well. In addition to this, there were also a few people who didn't belong to either island, and these are people who mentioned having a higher art exposure.
These results may suggest that even though there may be biological reasons for why people prefer certain visual traits, this also socially influenced by the environment one may be accustomed to. This variability in experiences and preferences can explain why the applied bias of 'pretty privilege' may not adhere to a monolithic standard throughout the world's population as a whole, and is instead dependent on differing subsets of society.
References
Cheney Dina, Hallett Cristina (2019). "The Science Behind
Why We Find Certain People Attractive". Mindbodygreen, https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/science- behind-why-we-find-certain-people-attractive?srsltid=AfmBOoprXKiNS0C8EpVIm9l9N1ENoJkBRYRcL9lkdo6_aaUNXyd_q8ca
Mather, K. B., Aleem, H., Rhee, Y., & Grzywacz, N. M. (2023). Social groups and polarization of
aesthetic values from symmetry and complexity. Scientific Reports, 13, Article 21507. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-47835-w
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