Published on
Updated
Reading 3 min.
What is a sexy jawline? A Belgian researcher has studied the question concerning both men and women and thinks he has discovered the ideal form, which does not leave anyone indifferent.
Clearly, measurements of an ideal body are at the heart of science. After a study which attempted to find out which buttocks were the most attractive in both men and women, a Belgian researcher has published two studies on the ideal shape…of the jaw. Whether square, V-shaped, or rather round, what shapes do we find sexy today?
The jaw, an element that has become very important in appearance
The jawline is considered so important to overall appearance that procedures to accentuate this area of the face are becoming increasingly popular. According to researcher Dr. Maurice Y. Mommaerts, the number of procedures such as buccal fat removal and jaw fillers increased by almost 70% in 2021.
The researcher from the University of Brussels conducted two online surveys using black and white photographs of celebrities and non-celebrities. Participants – men and women – were shown a series of images of faces and were asked to rate which jawline they found most attractive. The goal was to determine specifications for the “ideal” jaw angle that plastic surgeons must recreate when making implants.
In men, a well-defined but not square jawline
Some 81 people – men and women – half of them facial surgeons – took part in the survey on male jawlines, which included nine questions based on a set of questions. Eyes were covered in photos to reduce the chances of people making decisions based on other facial features. The researchers also asked participants to judge jaw width and jaw slope from a frontal angle, jaw height on the face, profile view of the face, and jaw slope from the side.
Celebrities introduced to attendees included Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Colin O’Donoghue, Colton Haynes, Dean Winchester, Hrithik Roshan, Jensen Ackles, Liam Hemsworth, Matthew Bomer, Michael Fassbinder, Richard Armitage, Tahmoh Penikett and Tom Hiddleston.
When asked which of the five images was the most attractive, 52% chose image 1 and 36% chose image 5. In the end, while we think a strong, defined jawline is more manly and sexy in a man, it turns out the answers further detail a well-defined, but V-shaped jawline.
In women, a V-shaped jaw also
In a separate survey of 46 men and women, participants were asked to rate a series of female jaws. The images of the faces were a mix of celebrities and non-celebrities. Among them: Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss, Mila Kunis, Irina Shayk, Scarlett Johansson, Kendall Jenner, Margot Robbie, Iris Mittenaere and Emma Watson. The questionnaire included six questions regarding different aspects of the jaw.
The image of model Kate Moss was rated the most attractive by 76% of participants, while that of an anonymous, square-faced woman was rated the least attractive. Again the V shape was the sexiest in the responses.
The least defined jawlines are the least pleasing
In both men and women, another piece of data was revealed: a less defined, rounder jawline, or one containing a little more fat, was perceived as less attractive. In the male study, some 74% of participants said a concealed jawline – either by fat, sagging skin or a beard, was unattractive. 98% of participants in the female study also eliminated the rounder jawline.
The researcher, however, recognizes a limitation to this study: “Completely anonymizing images remains a difficult task. The use of figures from the modeling, fashion and film industries has made the likelihood of celebrity recognition very high and may represent a source of bias.”
There was thus a greater chance of finding Brad Pitt or Kate Moss sexier than everyone else.