Anthropometric analysis of the faces of Chinese beauty pageant winners, from the early 20th century to the present

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the aesthetic characteristics of Chinese beauty through an anthropometric analysis of beauty pageant winners from 1952 to 2021. Photographs from 5 renowned Chinese beauty pageants (Miss World Pageant, Miss Earth Pageant, Miss Universe Pageant, Miss International Pageant, and Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant) were gathered and a total of 294 frontal and 31 lateral photographs were collected. The photos were divided into 3 time phases: phase I (1952–1977): from the first time when Chinese girls participated in beauty pageants, up until the time of reform and opening; phase II (1978–2002): from reform and opening to the re-opening of the Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant; phase III (2003–2021): to the present. The horizontal corneal diameter (11.52 mm) was set as the reference value for the frontal face. Among the 35 anthropometric items of frontal faces (26 distances and 9 angles) and 41 anthropometric items of lateral faces (33 distances and 8 angles), 21 anthropometric items (16 distances and 5 angles) and 8 proportional indices of frontal faces showed significant differences. On lateral pictures, 2 angles showed significant differences among the 3 phases. Regarding the anthropometric measurements that decreased across the 3 phases, the width of the face, midface, and lower face exhibited the greatest changes. The lower face width showed the most striking changes, with a decrease from 128.5 to 112.0 mm. The quadratic regression revealed a significant turning point after 1978, coinciding with the period of Chinese reform and opening, which had a profound impact on aesthetics.