Are we more beautiful than the people of 500 years ago?!?

Question

Are we more beautiful than the people of 500 years ago?!?

Answer 1

I don't think so.  They still had forms of make up back then.  They had hairstyles and clothing materials that we do not have today.  They also a healthier, more natural diet.  

Now we just have plastic surgery and liposuction.

Answer 2

If you mean naturally beatiful, then we're prob the same but if you mean *artificially* beatiful then we are miles ahead

Answer 3

definitively

Answer 4

Yes 500 years ago or 1 000 000 years ago....You wold look like a cave man or woman.

Answer 5

No.

We're just the same.

What has changed is our view of what beauty is.

Answer 6

Ha ha ha! There's a lot of responses! I have to agree with the people who say that beauty is int he eye of the be holder, people from 500 years ago might see us as totally ugly. Personaly I think that or that we're uglier now because now no one is natural anymore, we're all just covered in makeup or botox and no one's who they are anymore. (Most of the people at least.)

Answer 7

yes

Answer 8

most of us...thanks to plastic surgery and cosmetic products...

Answer 9

I don't think so. People 500 years ago were probably more beautiful beause they didn't try to be something they werne't. They were natural. I dont see beauty in anything 'made up.'

They may have been a bit smellier but definately more natural.

No make up, as such, no silicone, no nothing. "Take me as i am."

But having said that, how did we see each other 500 years ago?

Same as we do now? Demanding perfection and in the process creating imperfection?

Answer 10

By our standards, yes., especially given the improvements in hygiene etc. However, to people from 500 years ago, we'd probably look a bit weird.

Answer 11

probably.. with all the makeup,plastic surgery and beauty products we have nowadays...ah nobody is natural anymore...lol I don't think people back then really cared

Answer 12

Yes, solely due to the question being asked now instead of 500 years ago.  Attractiveness is  partially a learned response(some elements of attractiveness seem to be innate such as symmetry of features) based on the culture of the person judging another persons attractiveness.  That social aesthetic judgment evolves through time in all cultures. Currently, in some western European and North American cultures, a key ingredient is slimness, which even today is a minority view in light of the preferences of all the cultures in the Ethnographic Atlas.  More cultures value being plump or even fat than thin in todays world.  All societies have changed in their views of attractiveness since those days of 500 years ago. Asked now, the answer has to be "yes" because the standard with which one judges is the current one for their society,  although not all people would agree what specific elements are attractive, all would say now is better than any other time when different criteria was used.  Asked 500 years ago, comparing to any other period the answer would have to be that at that time, people were more attractive.

The value to aesthetics contributed by body adornment, scarification, cosmetics, clothing styles, body painting and much more have all evolved even in our own lifetimes, Ask a grandparent how attractive tattoos or piercings where in their day, then ask a teen in western countries.

Answer 13

have you taken a look around lately? I'll estimate about 15% of people today can be considered attractive, and maybe another 10% acceptable. But as for your question, it's not so much the actual looks of the people in those old paintings, it's the hair styles and clothes. Look at your pictures from the 70's or 80's and you'll most likely be appalled at how you looked.

Answer 14

Most certainly. I have always found that portraits of people from many years ago almost always looked ugly. Perhaps it is just me but I think on the whole people are gradually getting better looking.

Answer 15

Yes..We have make up now thank god

Answer 16

By our standard, probably. By their standards, probably not.

Answer 17

Beauty is in fact in the eye of the beholder.  We are not necessarily more beautiful, rather we have just found ways of covering up any imperfections.  Also, we have a much more superficial attitude of what is beautiful.  As attitudes have developed, so have ideas of beauty.  Additionally, clothing styles tend to bring out aspects of beauty.  100 years ago, women wore ankle lenght skirts and had to dress certain ways.  Today, they wear miniskirts, g-strings, etc......The sexier way of dressing brings the illusion of sexier people (more beautiful in other words) when in reality it is the way that these people are presenting themselves to the world that is really making the count for what is now percieved as beauty.

Answer 18

we are better groomed and have better oral hygiene. so yes

Answer 19

We have different standards, that has always changed according to country and ethnic background. Yes better dental care and cleanliness is good for appearance, but the plastic surgery thing is only good for when there is a real disconnect between say, the size of the nose and the rest of the face, or the almost complete lack of a chin. Other than that you start getting a parade of Miss America, Miss Universe look alikes, like Barbie dolls right out of a factory, and that's not beautiful, being beautiful isn't looking like everyone else that's labeled beautiful its letting your life and your experience and your joy show through. Some of the most truly beautiful people you see are elderly. Not s*x symbol beauty as measured by proportions in a swimsuit, but true soul satisfying beauty as measured by living and loving.

I think we are prettier than we used to be, but looking pretty has made us less beautiful

Answer 20

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I can not see people of 500 years ago,only some paintings and they could be made to look better.

Answer 21

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Answer 22

yes of course people who were around 500 years ago at best would just be a few black teeth, a lot of dust and an odd bone now , wouldnt float my boat.

Answer 23

We are much healthier now and I think that is reflected in our appearance.I look at my mothers school photo taken in 1912 (not even 100years ago)and modern day children are, in general ,far nicer looking some of those kids look half starved ,Hair lips  rickets ,nits impetigo, scurvy and crossed eyes are all treatable now.

Answer 24

People had different standards back then, so, someone from back then might think what we consider beautiful now is ugly.  Apparently in the eyes of the modern world, though, we are more beautiful.

Answer 25

Beautiful as in... not looking wretched all of the time from dysentery due to drinking water contaminated with our own s**+*?

Answer 26

Depends of ones definition of beauty!! And for Strawberry BigMac do you know anything about natural selection because I think not - for a characteristic (say beauty) to be weeded out the less attractive people would have to not mate in order to prevent them passing on their genes. However, less unattractive people still mate thus leading to the passing on of their genes!! Get your facts right!! We are not getting more beautiful as a result of natural selection.

Answer 27

no i think women are more beautiful without all the plastic surgery and make up.there is no better looking women than natural beauty  :)

Answer 28

I dont think we neccesarily are.  Nowadays it is just more superficial, make up, plastic surgery etc.  

Look at Cleopatra I mean she was beautiful (apparently)

Answer 29

yes i hope so

Answer 30

yes because we evolved to having better features and better ways of working out are bodies. The ugliest people get weeded out by natural selection.

and we age better thanks to cream, SPF and botox or whatever else. but even naturaly yes.

Actually we are ....the ugliest people arent as likely to make  children. And of course their is still some ugly people making kids but the majority get weeded out. Thats why its called natural selection duH! You more like to mate with someone who is beautiful and have an even more beautiful child who will do the same. Just like people are getting taller and stronger. In the past like 5 6 was tall for a women and now we have gorgeous 6 foot tall women....the best of the genes come together and make a beautiful child... then that beautiful child takes their genes and mates with someone with good genes and makes an even more beautiful child.

Natural Selection is weeding out the weak genes....people are less likely to make children with ugly partners therefor they are more likely to have even more beautiful children.

PLus we know more about beauty products and exercising and the affects of sundamage.

Beauty isen't in the eye of the beholder its science why your attracted to certain people and not others. Thats just a cop out.

Answer 31

If you consider cleanliness part of beauty, then yes.  People seldom bathed then.