2022 Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 46-55
When wearing facial makeup to look attractive, one may want to consider the following: 1) what are the components of attractiveness that should be enhanced and 2) how are they enhanced? To examine the first issue, a web survey was conducted to investigate the image of attractive women that Japanese women have in their mind, and the facial features that are associated with the image. Results showed that apart from physical appearance, the attractiveness associated with inner beauty also plays an important role in determining the image of attractive women. With regard to facial features, items related to facial expression were rated as more important than those related to other features such as configuration, skin texture and shape and size of features. Furthermore, the priority of the facial features they see when perceiving women’s attractiveness differs among respondents. To explore the second issue, we interviewed artists to gain insights about how inner beauty and other abstract concepts can be expressed through the face. This paper summarizes the findings obtained from these studies and suggests the possibility of an integrated contribution by art and psychology in embodying and understanding abstract concepts.
