It seems like there are shared experiences of beauty that appeal to all people -- sunrises, sunsets, waterfalls, gardens, forests. There are studies that show that more symmetrical people are rated as more attractive, and also that women in certain proportions are rated as more attractive (bust:waist:hips ratio).
Beauty could all be cultural, but there could be evolutionary "hard-wired" components as well. For instance, if a woman's belly is too large compared to hips, that could be a signal of pregnancy. Also a body that is not well taken care of could be a symbol of low social status. Social conditioning could change what body types are symbolic of higher or lower status, but the desire for high status may be an evolved trait.
|