What Really Makes Someone Beautiful? Hint: It’s Not What You Think.

The Equation of Beauty

What is beauty, really? You might be surprised to know that beauty can actually be defined numerically. Yes — the number **1.6180339887**. This number is known as the **Golden Ratio**. Euclid was the first person who managed to extract this golden ratio from nature; a mysterious proportion that appears again and again in almost everything we find visually stunning. The Golden Ratio can be described as a line relationship or as a geometric pattern — and it hides behind many shapes whose balance and symmetry feel naturally pleasing to us.

We find this ratio in almost everything fascinating: from architecture to the structure of faces considered beautiful. For example, if you imagine the head as a golden rectangle, the mouth and nose fall exactly at golden intervals between the eyes and the chin. This pattern even applies to the human body: the distance from the navel to the feet follows the Golden Ratio relative to total height, and the ratio from the top of the head to the fingertips does too. And amazingly, the same ratio appears in classical art — like the famous icon of Christ in Coventry Cathedral.

In other words, from a mathematical point of view, beauty isn’t some vague, abstract idea with no measurable standard. The mechanism of perceiving beauty is built right into our brain — we recognize beauty because we instinctively recognize balance and symmetry. And whenever we see something that breaks that balance — whether it’s a facial deformity or a poorly designed building — we identify it instantly as “not beautiful.”

Take a look at the glossy magazine covers on the newsstands, or even at the cover photos of our own articles here on ZibaNews. Appearance is everything. Your looks are the very first thing people notice in any social situation — and they judge you based on that, whether they intend to or not.

It seems that the more attractive you appear, the more confident you feel… and the more opportunities open up for you in society.

Let’s look closer — at your skin.

Your skin is one of the most important components of your physical appearance. In daily interactions, your face is almost always visible — and interestingly, people observe it constantly without even realizing it.

And here comes the dark side:

If the structure or tone of your skin is affected by any kind of damage, your perceived beauty can fade. In modern society, people with unusual facial features are often judged unfairly — and some even experience serious social disadvantages.

You don’t need leprosy for this to happen.

Take something as common as acne, balding, or psoriasis — a chronic non-contagious skin condition that carries enormous psychological weight. Most people with psoriasis feel others stare at them, fear they’re contagious, or even avoid them socially. Some are directly told not to enter places like swimming pools, gyms, or salons.

Sad, isn’t it?

And even worse, because they expect rejection, they often avoid these public places themselves — voluntarily isolating. The result?

Or let’s talk about a condition almost everyone recognizes: acne. Many of us have experienced not just the physical irritation but also the emotional heaviness of teenage acne. And as studies show, the severity of acne can strongly affect how much a teenager participates in daily social activities — adding stress on top of all the other pressures of growing up.

So where does this pressure actually come from?

Here’s the answer:

People growing up in modern societies are taught — directly or indirectly — that things like clear skin, strong nails and clean, healthy hair are essential parts of being “beautiful.” So when someone lacks these qualities — even for completely uncontrollable reasons — society simply stops seeing them as attractive.

So with all this in mind, how could anyone call a skin condition “beautiful”? Where exactly is the beauty in a skin disorder?

Water, Sunlight, and Beauty

We’re not here to talk about cosmetic surgeries, Botox, or fillers. But it’s worth knowing what factors — aside from cultural conditioning — caused the explosion of beauty trends and the massive growth of beauty-related industries in recent decades.

The first factor is water and washing — and the exponential effect it had on skincare and beauty markets.

Back in 1961, the average water used for bathing was 11 liters per day. By 1997, that number had jumped to 51 liters. In 2008, it reached around 80 liters per day.

In a country like the UK, that number is now around 145–150 liters per person per day.

Sales of bath foam alone went from £76 million in 1981 to £145 million in 2008. And total sales of personal hygiene and cleansing products in the UK in 2006 reached a staggering 4 billion pounds.

Naturally, as washing rates increased, so did dry skin and eczema — especially among children and the elderly. This led to a huge boom in moisturizers and skincare products.

The second major factor behind the rise of the beauty industry was sunlight.

People constantly took vacations to get tanned — and even competed over who could get darker.

And the result?

Disaster.

If you’re a fan of Hollywood, just compare Brigitte Bardot’s photos from the late 1960s with her photos from the early 1990s — you’ll see dramatic changes in her skin’s elasticity and wrinkles, mostly due to heavy sun exposure.

Maybe talking about premature aging doesn’t scare you much — but skin cancer probably will.

Just look at the numbers:

From 1950–1954, invasive melanoma (skin cancer) was extremely rare: • 1.9 cases per 100,000 men • 2.6 cases per 100,000 women

By 2007, these numbers skyrocketed: • Men: from 1.9 → 33.5 per 100,000 • Women: from 2.6 → 25.3 per 100,000

Deaths also increased dramatically.

Still thinking about tanning at the villa? Or booking a solarium session?

Why Does Beauty Matter?

Of course, deciding how you want to look is completely up to you. At least these days, nobody gets punished for not being pretty or for not blow-drying their hair properly. (Although depending on where you live, you might actually get punished for showing too much beauty!)

Maybe you’re someone who’s reached a stage in life where trying to look better just doesn’t matter anymore — or maybe you’re a true minimalist who simply doesn’t care about outward appearance. If that’s the case, then the question “Why should I look beautiful?” might feel totally meaningless to you.

Either way, here are the most common reasons why beauty does matter — and honestly, it matters a lot:

Beauty can influence people

In certain situations, aesthetics can influence people so strongly that they forget their other priorities. Beauty acts like a powerful distraction — which is exactly why so many marketers use it to sell more products.

Beauty is often mistaken for skill

In some workplaces (depending on the mindset of the employees and managers), beauty is directly associated with intelligence and ability. The truth? There’s absolutely **no scientific evidence** supporting this idea.

But as we said earlier, people tend to believe that beautiful individuals are also smart and competent.

Beauty makes you feel good

Ever wonder why so many people want to look more attractive? The answer is simple: Because the more beautiful you feel, the better you feel about yourself.

There’s a clear psychological link between beauty and self-confidence. Generally, people who know they look good tend to be more confident in their abilities.

Beauty attracts people

For many women, physical appearance plays a huge role at the beginning of romantic relationships. Women often use their charm, looks, and style as a tool of attraction — it’s their most visible “weapon.” So yes, beauty can make a huge difference in emotional connections.

Beauty helps maintain relationships

Let’s be honest: If you’re a married woman and suddenly stop caring about your appearance, your husband will notice. He might even start paying attention to other women.

(Rude? Unfair? Maybe! But it’s also a very common reality.)

Men like to feel that their wife is the most beautiful woman in the world — it gives them a sense of pride and emotional security.

Beauty creates a sense of balance and harmony

A beautiful face is always pleasant to look at — whether that person is a makeup salesperson or a little girl playing with your kids. People naturally feel more comfortable around good-looking individuals.

It’s like how we enjoy looking at a beautiful landscape or a well-designed scene. Really, who enjoys looking at something unattractive?

In the End

We began this article with the words of Confucius and the tale of Xerxes the Great — but let’s finish with two famous quotes by two well-known thinkers.

The first is by John Wesley, the British philosopher, whose principle was: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, for all the people you can.” (A principle we’ve also adopted as part of our mission here at ZibaNews.)

The second quote is from Einstein — one of the greatest thinkers of the past century:

“Anyone who cannot pause, reflect, and be amazed — anyone for whom that feeling is dead — is practically a corpse. Their eyes are open, but they see nothing.”

Put these sentences together and imagine the image that forms in your mind, your intellect, and your heart.

That image is beauty itself.