Leonardo Da Vinci spent a lifetime
trying to paint one. Scientists and mathematicians have puzzled for
centuries over what makes one, while cosmetic surgeons have amassed
fortunes striving to create one.
And Florence Colgate? Well, she simply has one.
The
18-year-old student is blessed with what is described as the perfect
face. It matches an international blueprint for the optimum ratio
between eyes, mouth, forehead and chin, endowing her with flawless
proportions.
In theory, that needn't necessarily
cause her to appear anything more than symmetrical (in which department,
incidentally, she is also faultless).
But
the blue-eyed blonde's mathematical dimensions have just added up to
success in a competition to find Britain's most naturally beautiful
face.
Florence, who has a
Saturday job in a seaside chip shop in between studying for her
A-levels, beat 8,000 entrants to win the title. Contestants were judged
without make-up and were barred entry if they had had plastic surgery or
chemical enhancement.
Locals wryly suggested it was the sea
air in the Dover Grammar schoolgirl's home town of Deal, Kent, which
contributed to her success, or possibly a secret ingredient in Middle
Street Fish Bar's chips.
But
it is the scientific definition of beauty – not to mention a healthy
portion of beauty genes from her mother – which gave Florence the crown.
A
woman's face is said to be most attractive when the space between her
pupils is just under half the width of her face from ear to ear.
Florence scores a 44 per cent ratio. Experts also believe the relative
distance between eyes and mouth should be just over a third of the
measurement from hairline to chin. Florence's ratio is 32.8 per cent.
Singer
Shania Twain and actresses Liz Hurley and Jessica Alba are ranked among
perfectly formed celebrities. Samantha Brick, who caused an
international debate after proclaiming women hate her because she is
beautiful, is not.
And to top it off, Florence's face is almost perfectly symmetrical, which is also scientifically linked with beauty.
The
proportional beauty theory has been around ever since Da Vinci applied
visionary thinking and mathematical genius to describing the perfect
face more than half a millennium ago. For
Florence, it became reality when friends, family and chip shop
customers persuaded her to enter a competition run by ITV's Lorraine
programme to highlight natural beauty and encourage women to be proud of
their natural look.
Florence,
who normally wears light foundation and mascara and admits to using
concealer and Vaseline, won a trip to a London model agency and will
appear on billboards and posters in Superdrug stores across the country.
She says she would love
to have a career in modelling (model Agyness Deyn once worked in a chip
shop too) – but is currently studying business, geography and psychology
and intends to do business management at university.
'Women
should not have to feel that they have to wear make-up,' she said. 'I
hope people will look at me and think they don't need to. I'm very happy
with the way I look and I would never have any plastic surgery or
Botox.'
Carmen Lefèvre,
from the University of St Andrews perception laboratory in the School of
Psychology, said beauty is strongly linked to symmetry. 'Florence has
all the classic signs of beauty,' she added. 'She has large eyes, high
cheekbones, full lips and a fair complexion. Symmetry appears to be a
very important cue to attractiveness. 'Although
we don't realise it in everyday interactions, in most people's faces
the right and left half are actually quite different.'
Symmetry
alone was not a substitute for beauty, she conceded. On the face of it,
however, it seems to work perfectly for Florence.
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