Beyond Nature Versus Culture: A Multiple Fitness Analysis of Variations in Grooming

Abstract

Discussion of the nature of personal aesthetics, or physical attractiveness, seems to alternate between two positions, which we term Natural Classicism and Cultural Constructivism. These two positions are illustrated in fashion historian Julian Robinson’s (1998) account of a conversation that he had with art historian Sir Kenneth Clark:

“Sir Kenneth Clark said that...his own interests lay in classical styles of beauty as seen from a purely Mediterranean viewpoint, which had reached its zenith in the marble sculptures of ancient Greece. He explained that to a great extent the aesthetic appeal of such beauty depended on perfect symmetry, regular features, and an unvarying adherence to the prevailing classical ideals of shape, form and measurable proportions. In turn, I explained that my inclinations and convictions had become firmly rooted in the notion that human beauty is a reflection of cultural perceptions and inherited ideas of aesthetics, and that such aesthetics were not immutable...I went on to say that all human ideals and notions of beauty appeared to be inextricably linked to the varying forms of symbolism to which cultural groups appear to become “addicted” and which by ritual becomes an important aspect of their lives, and that each new generation learns these notions and addictions in the same way as it learns all other cultural matters - thus human beauty exists only in the eyes of those with the specific knowledge and cultural heritage to perceive it.” (pp. 13–14)