Similarly, lighter skin was openly regarded as more attractive among African Americans until this became an identity issue as epitomised by the phrase, "Black is beautiful". Beauty products which make skin look fairer are still popularly sold in Africa and Afro hairstyles among women but are not considered as "fashionable".
Likewise, it is important to point out that having brown or tanned skin is very desirable and sought after amongst Caucasians in Europe, Australia, and North America. Skin that is 'bronzed by the sun' is regarded as more attractive and healthy looking than paler skin. Tanning products such as tanning beds, tanning lotions, as well as "skin glowing" bronzers are popular commodities in these countries.
Similar but somewhat less controversial are features which are associated with gender such as muscle tone or height. For example, muscular women were almost universally regarded as unattractive in the past.
Facial symmetry & the golden ratio
Facial symmetry is seen as a universal determinant of health and therefore of beauty. A person of either gender who is considered as attractive in various cultures has been found to have facial symmetry based on the golden ratio of 1:1.618 (phi). Plastic surgeon Stephen Marquardt developed an ideal beauty mask marked with various outlines of facial features based on the golden ratio. The faces that are judged as most attractive are found to fit the mask.
Olfactory factors
Olfactory signals, or smell, can influence the perception of attractiveness. Almost universally, the heavy body odor emitted by those with strongly smelling sweat or those who have not frequently bathed is considered unattractive (with the occasional exception of certain fetishes). However, the smell of the human body, that is, insofar as it has not reached the unpleasant degree of body odor, is often considered a sexually attractive factor. It is generally accepted that humans emit pheromones, a form of chemical fragrance, which may cause them to be perceived as sexually attractive to others. [2]. Moreover, many human cultures favor the use of fragrant substances, such as perfume or cologne, or of fragrant soaps and body products. Individuals using such fragrances are typically considered attractive in such cultures, and not exclusively sexually. Additionally, individuals who have freshly bathed, including young children, can often be considered highly "pleasant", "clean", or "beautiful".
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