Ideal Beauty? Symmetry Reflection or Mirror Analysis: Section 2

Symmetry Reflection or Mirror Analysis: Section 2

Sometimes, symmetry is not always best. I actually think my left side is MUCH better than my right -- the lower half of my right jaw hangs lower due to my TMJ Disorder. When I bisect my face, my nasal columella leans to the right. I wish my nose was more like my left mirror reflection.

This exercise will show you what you would look like if you were completely symmetrical and will also pinpoint where your discrepancies are. Check out my photos below. Marc said this is an odd pic and my nose looks larger in the pic because I took it myself, but it will do for now. Plus my hair does cover part of my large jaw on one side, thankfully. Can I just say I like the left mirror reflection photo and which I looked like that, lol!

Click Photos For A Larger Image


unaltered photo	left mirror reflection	right mirror reflection

How To Perform This Exercise:
Step 1 Open any type of "Paint" Program or graphics program (such as Adobe Photoshop, or Microsoft Paint Pro 7)

Step 2 Go to FILE, then OPEN and click a "straight on" photo of yourself

Step 3 You should now have a photo of yourself in view

Step 4 Click on the CROP TOOL (the dashed box)

Step 5 Use the mouse to bisect your face by drawing a rectangle around the right side of your face EXACTLY through the middle of your face. Make sure that you go from the very top of the picture to the very bottom.

Step 6 After you have placed the triangle where it should be - click IMAGE, then click CROP.

Step 7 Save as "facialsymmetry_right"

Step 8 Make a copy of "facialsymmetry_right", hit the "flip horizontal" button to make a *left* mirror image of the right side of your face and save it as "facialsymmetry_right2"

Step 9 Repeat Steps 5 through 8 for the LEFT side of your face but of course save it as "facialsymmetry_left" and "facialsymmetry_left2"

Step 10 Place these images next to one another in either the Paint Program and either "save as" or place it in a document next to one another. Compare your left and right mirror images to a "normal", unaltered photo. Determine which image you like better and why? Notice that you will either like one side or the other or NONE at all and only your asymmetries will look good together as a whole.

Let's Apply This to Some Celebrities...

Natasha Henstridge

normal

left mirror reflection

right mirror reflection

Natasha is pretty symmetrical. I think she is
really beautiful and I would give my right implant to have some of her features

Angelina Jolie

normal

left mirror image

right mirror image

section 1 | section 2 | section 3

References
Almirantis, Y. 1995. Left-right asymmetry in vertebrates. BioEssays
Cancar, D. 1995. Sex and the symmetrical body. New Scientist
Enquist, M., A. Arak. 1994. Symmetry, beauty and evolution. Nature
Etcoff, N. 1999. The Beauty of Science, Survival of the Prettiest
Eugene, A. 1998. I Want To Be Beautiful, interview
Gould, S. J. 1998. The allure of equal halves. The Sciences
Grammer, K., R. Thornhill. 1994. Human (Homo sapiens) facial attractiveness and sexual selection: the role of symmetry and averageness. Journal of Comparative Psychology
Mealey, L., R. Bridgstock, G. C. Townsend. 1999. Symmetry and perceived facial attractiveness: a monozygotic co-twin comparison. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Samuels, C. A., G. Butterworth, T. Roberts, L. Graupner, G. Hole. 1994. Facial aesthetics: babies prefer attractiveness to symmetry. Perception
Scutt, D., J. T. Manning. 1996. Symmetry and ovulation in women. Human Reproduction
Swaddle, J. P., I. C. Cuthill. 1995. Asymmetry and human facial attractiveness: symmetry may not always be beautiful. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences
UTMB, Galveston, TX - Dept of Otolaryngology - Facial Analysis; October 1, 1997

Are you lost? View Site Index