Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder?

The idea that beauty is a social construct has been a popular message in contemporary feminism, encouraging women to reject the unrealistic standards of attractiveness fed to us by mainstream media. This view highlights the subjectivity of beauty as it shows how cultural factors influence individual perceptions of attractiveness. While the theory that beauty is subjective certainly has some merit, are there any objective qualities of beauty which transcend personal or social biases?

During the Renaissance, many artists and philosophers believed in objective standards of beauty grounded in mathematical principles, such as Da Vinci’s Golden Ratio. This mathematical ratio is said to underpin some of the most aesthetically pleasing forms found in nature, including seashells, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and facial beauty.

The distance between facial features can be analysed using the Golden Ratio to assess facial symmetry, and plastic surgeons use the Golden Ratio and other such “formulas of beauty” to guide the facial proportions that they aim for in their procedures. Such formulas can even be found on social media, with TikTok’s “Golden Ratio Filter” modifying the user's face to align with the Golden Ratio and allegedly enhance their attractiveness.

Certain features may be perceived as attractive across multiple generations, enhancing an individual’s chance of mating in a process called sexual selection. We see examples of this throughout nature, from the extravagant feathers of male peacocks to the bright pink colour of flamingos.

It is feasible that certain traits may have become more pronounced in humans based on mate preference. Evolutionary psychologists have found that individuals may be subconsciously drawn to symmetrical faces as a strategy for selecting partners with good genetic health and developmental stability. This subconscious bias may suggest that facial symmetry could be considered an objective facet of beauty.

However, the importance of individual differences and cultural biases cannot be understated. Mathematical formulas of beauty only account for proportion, forgetting other facets of beauty such as colour, personality, and individuality. Famous paintings like the Mona Lisa, whose face aligns with the Golden Ratio, are not considered beautiful by everyone.

This effectively disproves mathematical ratios of beauty as they ignore the personal, cultural and contextual factors that affect subjective opinion about beauty. You could argue that the Golden Ratio is itself a reflection of Da Vinci’s personal opinions of beauty, and just because many people agreed with him doesn’t mean his opinion reflects an objective truth. Furthermore, many people are found attractive regardless of facial symmetry, because other facial features, personality traits or emotional connections may make them an attractive person.

Despite attempts to quantify beauty numerically, the subjectivity of beauty is undeniable, and cannot be contained within a mathematical formula.