Variation in the physical appearance of humans is believed by anthropologists to be an important factor in the development of personality and social relations in particular physical attractiveness. There is a relatively low sexual dimorphism between human males and females in comparison with other mammals. However humans are acutely sensitive to variations in physical appearance, some theorize for reasons of evolution. Some differences in human appearance are genetic, others are the result of age or disease, and many are the result of personal adornment. See Anthropology. ... Although Harvard University has featured a Department of Social Relations (in which Talcott Parsons played a prominent role), and although the term social relations is frequently used in social sciences, there is no commonly agreed meaning for this concept (see also the entry social). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in both color and size between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ... Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ... It has been suggested that Longevity genes be merged into this article or section. ... A disease or medical condition is an abnormality of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, distress, or death to the person afflicted or those in contact with the person. ... Many see natural beauty in the folded petals of a rose This page is about the pleasant phenomenon. ...

Some people have traditionally linked some differences in personal appearance such as skeletal shape with race, such as prognathism or elongated stride (but this is a controversial and sensitive matter). Different cultures place different degrees of emphasis on physical appearance and its importance to social status and other phenomena. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The word prognathism derives from Greek pro (forward) and ganathos (jaw). ...

The concept of the dandy was prevalent in the Western world prior to the contemporary period--namely, a man who devotes particular attention to his physical appearance. The concept bears various similarities with that of the metrosexual in recent history. Sporty Parisian dandies of the 1830s: a girdle was required to achieve this silhouette. ... Metrosexuality is, according to British journalist Mark Simpson, the trait of an urban male of any sexual orientation (usually heterosexual) who has a strong aesthetic sense and spends a great amount of time and money on his appearance and lifestyle. ...

Physiological differences in human physical appearance from individual to individual

• Height, body weight, skin tone, sexual organs, moles, hair color and type, eye color, nose shape, body shape, body deformations, mutilations and other imperfections such as amputations, scars, and wounds. Genital modification and mutilation is particularly common in some cultures.

Height is a measurement of the distance from the bottom to the top of something which is upright. ... Body weight is simply the weight of anything, including humans. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely: Male: penis (notably the glans penis... Melanocytic naevus A mole or melanocytic naevus is a small, dark spot on the skin. ... Young Girl Fixing her Hair, by Sophie Gengembre Anderson Hair is a filamentous outgrowth of dead cells from the skin, found only in mammals. ... Human beings have many variations in hair color and hair texture. ... The human eye. ... Eye color or eye colour is a polygenic trait and is determined primarily by the amount and type of pigments present in the eyes iris. ... Human nose in profile A typical bulbous human nose Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for respiration. ... Partial hand amputation For the song Amputations by Death Cab for Cutie, see You Can Play these Songs with Chords Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma (also referred to as avulsion) or surgery. ... Otto Skorzeny with a facial scar caused by fencing Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after destruction of some of the dermis. ... Superficial bullet wounds In medicine, a wound is a type of physical trauma wherein the skin is torn, cut or punctured (an open wound), or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion (a closed wound). ... Genital modification and genital mutilation both can refer to permanent or temporary changes to the human genitals. ...

Long-term physiological changes in an individual

• Aging

It has been suggested that Longevity genes be merged into this article or section. ...

Short-term physiological changes in an individual

• Blushing, crying, fainting, sexual arousal, reddening of the skin due to increased blood flow due to exertion. Sweating, Shivering, skin color changes due to sunshine.

To blush is to display a marked redness of ones face; the term is seldom applied except when the redness is construed as a result of embarrassment, shame, or modesty. ... Tears trickling down the cheeks Lacrimation is the bodys process of producing tears, which are a liquid to clean and lubricate the eyes. ... The term Faint redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sweating (also called perspiration or sometimes transpiration) is the loss of a watery fluid, consisting mainly of sodium chloride (commonly known as salt) and urea in solution, that is secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. ... Shivering is a human bodily function in response to cold. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Sunshine may refer to: Sunlight Sunshine (1999 film), an award-winning post World War II film directed by István Szabó Sunshine (2007 film), an upcoming science fiction film directed by Danny Boyle Sunshine Daydream, a 1972 film about a Grateful Dead concert Sunshine Nee, a Thai porn star Stack...

Clothing and personal effects

• clothing, including headgear and footwear; some clothes alter or mold the shape of the body (e.g. corset, support pantyhose, bra)
• style and colour of haircut (see also dreadlocks, braids, ponytail, wig, hairpin, facial hair, beard and moustache)
• cosmetics, stage makeup, body paintings
• body modifications, such as body piercings and tattoos
• decorative objects (jewelry) such as a necklaces, bracelets, rings
• medical or body shape altering devices (e.g. tooth braces, bandages, hearing aids, calipers, cervical collar, glasses, gold teeth)

It has been suggested that folding clothes be merged into this article or section. ... Headgear, headwear or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on ones head. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An ordinary hourglass corset from around 1890. ... A brassiere (, commonly referred to as a bra, ) is an article of clothing that covers and elevates the breasts. ... Species Sus barbatus Sus bucculentus Sus cebifrons Sus celebensis Sus domesticus Sus heureni Sus philippensis Sus salvanius Sus scrofa Sus timoriensis Sus verrucosus Pigs are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus Sus within the Suidae family. ... Rastaman with long dreadlocks Dreadlocks, sometimes called simply Dreads, Locks, or Locs are matted ropes of hair which will form by themselves if the hair is allowed to grow without the use of brushes, combs, razors or scissors for a long period of time. ... A braid Step by step creation of a basic braid using three strings To braid is to interweave or twine three or more separate strands of one or more materials in a diagonally overlapping pattern. ... A ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. ... A wig or toupee is a head of hair - human, horse-hair or synthetic - worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. ... Hairpins (around 600 b. ... This article has been illustrated as part of WikiProject Illustrated Wikipedia. ... A man with a full beard A beard is the hair that grows on a mans chin, cheeks, neck, and the area above the upper lip (the opposite is a clean-shaven face). ... Edgar Allan Poe had a simple moustache. ... Assorted cosmetics and tools Cosmetics ( ) or make-up are substances used to enhance the beauty of the human body. ... Two children with painted faces. ... Body modification (or body alteration) is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the human body for non-medical reasons, such as spiritual, various social (markings), BDSM edgeplay or aesthetic. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A tattoo is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin; in technical terms, tattooing is micro-pigment implantation. ... Jewelry (the American spelling; spelled jewellery in Commonwealth English) consists of ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ... A necklace is an article of clothing or jewelry; which is worn around the neck. ... A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. ... A finger ring is a metal band worn as an ornament around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. ... A girl with braces goes in for a dental checkup Braces are a collection of brackets (usually with a wire) that are used in orthodontics to correct alignment of teeth in the jaws of humans. ... Bandages are also used for martial arts. ... A hearing aid is a device used to help the hard-of-hearing hear sounds better. ... A caliper is a device used in the metalworking field of mechanical engineering, to measure the distance between two symmetrically opposing sides. ... A cervical collar is a plastic, foam, or plastazole neck brace that can be rigid or soft and is used to secure the cervical vertebrae in the normal position. ... A pair of modern glasses A pair of more traditional glasses Glasses, spectacles, or eyeglasses are frames bearing lenses worn below the forehead and in front of the human eyes, sometimes for purely aesthetic reasons but normally for vision correction or eye protection or for protection from UV rays. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... Types of teeth Molars are used for grinding up foods Carnassials are used for slicing food. ...

Other functional objects, temporarily attached to the body

• sunglasses
• goggles
• watch
• headphones/handsfree phone headset
• electronics (e.g. PDA, cell phone, DAP)
• weapons

Brown sunglasses Sunglasses being worn Sunglasses are a visual aid, variously termed spectacles or glasses, which feature lenses that are coloured or darkened to screen out strong light from the eyes. ... Watersport goggles Blowtorching goggles and safety helmet Goggles and safety glasses are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the eye area in order to prevent particulates or chemicals from striking the eyes. ... A wrist watch A watch is a small portable timepiece or clock that displays the time and sometimes the day, date, month and year. ... Headphones (also known as earphones, earbuds, stereophones, headsets, or by the slang term cans) are a pair of transducers that receive an electrical signal from a media player or receiver and use speakers placed in close proximity to the ears (hence the name earphone) to convert the signal into audible... Bluetooth logo Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs). ... The field of electronics comprises the study and use of systems that operate by controlling the flow of electrons (or other charge carriers) in devices such as thermionic valves (vacuum tubes) and semiconductors. ... palmOne Tungsten T5 (CDAs) are handheld devices that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. ... Mobile phones from various years Several mobile phones A mobile or cellular telephone is a long-range, portable electronic device for personal telecommunications over long distances. ... An embedded hard drive-based player (Apple iPod) An MP3 CD player (Philips Expanium) A flash-based player (iBox Mediaman) A digital audio player (DAP) is a device that stores, organizes and plays digital music files. ... The bayonet is used as both knife and spear. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: people

• Beauty
• Body image
• Common human variations
• Eigenface
• Face perception
• Facial symmetry
• Fashion
• Hair coloring
• Nudity
• Physical attractiveness
• Recognition of human individuals
• Sexual attraction
• Social aspects of clothing
• Social role of hair
• Sexual selection
• Ugliness
• Vanity

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... A nymph with morning glory flowers by Lefebvre. ... Body image is a persons perception of his or her physical appearance. ... Human variability, or human variation, refers to the range of possible values for any measurable characteristic, physical or mental, of human beings. ... Eigenfaces are a set of eigenvectors used in the computer vision problem of human face recognition. ... Face perception is the process by which the brain and mind understand and interpret the face, particularly the human face. ... Facial symmetry is one of a number of traits associated with health, physical attractiveness and beauty of a person or animal. ... The term fashion usually applies to a prevailing mode of expression, but quite often applies to a personal mode of expression that may or may not adhere to prevailing ideals. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Nudity or nakedness is the state of wearing no clothing. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Recognition of acquaintances From nearby, a human individual is mainly recognized by his or her face. ... This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Illustration from The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex by Charles Darwin showing the Tufted Coquette Lophornis ornatus, female on left, ornamented male on right. ... Gargoyles are often described as ugly or grotesque. ... The Narcissus myth, as portrayed by Waterhouse, is a reflection on the nature of intimacy and vanity. ...

References

• A discussion of the possible effect of physical appearance on personality development at personalityresearch.org
• Page with a list of links to discussions of the role of physical appearance in sexual selection and evolution. We need to link to their links directly, having read them, as this page is a blizzard of pop-up ads
• S. Ghirlanda, L. Jansson, M. Enquist; "Chickens Prefer Beautiful Humans", Human Nature, Volume 13, Number 3 (2002) pp. 383-389