Go back to your academic days and you might be able to remember hearing something about the golden ratio. This is a mathematical formula that was appled to art and architecture during The Renaissance to determine what was considered to be beautiful. Using symmetry and proportions, it eventually came to be applied to the human body and for a time helped define human beauty.
We don't hear as much about the golden ratio today as we once did, particularly in terms of human beauty. We're living in an age when we generally accept that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. But there's a good chance that we could start hearing more about the golden ratio again as the result of a new advance in technology.
Computers have long been able to use facial recognition software to determine basic characters of a human face, such as whether the person is male or female. However, a new advance has been made which now allows computers to determine the "beauty" of the female face. The report doesn't specifically say that the golden ratio was used; a number of factors were taken into consideration by the computer.
If we do decide that we're going to start judging beauty by a specific standard, such as the golden ratio, then there's a good chance that there will be a rise in plastic surgery interest directly intended to create the desired form.
Question of the Day: Do you believe that there is a mathematical equation for beauty - and if so, would you use plastic surgery to achieve it?
