The More You Look Like A Baby, The Hotter You Are (Says Science)
Research has shown that adults demonstrate a preference for infant faces over adult faces. (WTF?)
Getty Images Women want to look young, but do we really want to look as young as a baby?
Science says yes, as many of the beauty trends we have today are patterned after baby-like features.
In 2015, the internet was abuzz with the #KylieJennerChallenge, where young girls try to get the bee-stung lip look of Kylie Jenner, with disastrous results.
One popular method of trying to meet the challenge involves girls putting their lips into a shot glass, and then sucking the air out, creating a vacuum effect.
Who wouldn't want these luscious lips?
Unfortunately, because shot glasses are made of glass and aren't flexible, the shot glasses shatter and the participant ends up in the emergency room.
That's one way of getting the swollen, pouty, baby lips that are the epitome of beauty.
Features such as a large head relative to the body, and large forehead and eyes are all characteristics that separate infants from adults. Large eyes, tiny noses, full lips, and chubby cheeks are baby traits that adults consider beautiful.
Your face looks fuller when you're a baby because there's a layer of fat under your skin. This baby fat is centered along the cheeks and gives the face a healthy, chubby look.
Two home beauty treatments you can do for the baby-like look: blow up a balloon, as blowing up balloons helps build up muscles to add some chubbiness to your cheeks, and massaging your cheeks with olive oil to ensure they're softer than a baby's ... well, a baby.
This trend puts emphasis on being thin everywhere on your body, except for your cheeks.
If you want a large forehead, an Endoscopic brow lift is an option. When done correctly, brow lift surgery can smooth out lines and give the illusion of a wider, higher baby-brow. Although it's been suggested that Renee Zellweger (allegedly) had a brow lift, she's denied it.
Research has shown that adults demonstrate a preference for, and have a more positive response to, infant faces than adult faces.
Further research also found that adults who look younger are often more attractive than mature appearing adults.
In fact, young individuals may be a preference due to their baby-like features, eliciting positive caretaking responses from others.
But every person has their own idea of beauty. For some, it's the baby-like features of a forehead taking up one-third of your face.
For others, it might be a perfectly symmetrical face.
There are times when you meet someone and they aren't exactly your idea of beauty. But something happens with your brain chemistry, and for no logical reason, you find them amazingly attractive.
No amount of balloon-blowing-up can ever beat chemistry.
Christine Schoenwald is a love and entertainment writer.