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<blockquote data-quote="Jeremy Ackerman-Yost" data-source="post: 247142" data-attributes="member: 4720">Re: Re: comelinessActually, like all other things related to attractiveness, that's open for debate.&nbsp; In a medieval setting, the knight in full plate was a hero and nobleman who probably awed the peasantry by his very presence.&nbsp; That's definitely NOT a negative modifier.&nbsp; And I know a few women who find men in armor attractive (probably social programming from reading too many &quot;knight in shining armor&quot; stories, but it still results in a more positive reaction).&nbsp; Let's say you're a shopkeeper and a guy comes clanging in to the store in full armor and demands to see your finest swords.&nbsp; Not only are you going to be more impressed with him than the guy in a woodsman's outfit, but you're also going to look at that armor and figure this guy's got cash.&nbsp; Positive modifier to reaction again (though it might apply a penalty to haggling).&nbsp; Armor is, after all, a display of wealth.&nbsp; Merchants definitely react positively to that.&nbsp; And let's not kid ourselves, many people who wouldn't get a second look if they were middle class get a lot of attention from the opposite sex if they're wealthy.&nbsp; And it's not always greed motivated.&nbsp; Wealth and power are genuine attractive agents, especially to women (basic evolutionary psychology there, not sexism.&nbsp; Females invest more in offspring, seeking a mate who can provide greater resources is bred in the bone) As for the &quot;beauty mask&quot; and all that.&nbsp; For one thing, those studies were indeed heavily biased toward Caucasian and Asian subjects (and really only certain Asian subpopulations).&nbsp; I think the most recent one also included Latin American groups, but I'm not sure.&nbsp; They also had some interesting results from that which are generally ignored.&nbsp; Many people scored the composite faces as beautiful or very pretty, but post experimental interviews and questionnaires often showed something along the lines of &quot;She's very pretty, but not really for me.&quot;&nbsp; The long and the short of it is, there was a great deal of aesthetic appreciation of these faces, but, to put it bluntly, very few people wanted to sleep with them.&nbsp; There are some theories about this that suggest it's the little imperfections and asymmetries that allow us to get a handle on faces.&nbsp; &quot;Perfect&quot; faces are pleasing to the eye, but ultimately they're very forgettable.&nbsp; They're more like a painting or a landscape than a person.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jeremy Ackerman-Yost, post: 247142, member: 4720"] [b]Re: Re: comeliness[/b] Actually, like all other things related to attractiveness, that's open for debate. In a medieval setting, the knight in full plate was a hero and nobleman who probably awed the peasantry by his very presence. That's definitely NOT a negative modifier. And I know a few women who find men in armor attractive (probably social programming from reading too many "knight in shining armor" stories, but it still results in a more positive reaction). Let's say you're a shopkeeper and a guy comes clanging in to the store in full armor and demands to see your finest swords. Not only are you going to be more impressed with him than the guy in a woodsman's outfit, but you're also going to look at that armor and figure this guy's got cash. Positive modifier to reaction again (though it might apply a penalty to haggling). Armor is, after all, a display of wealth. Merchants definitely react positively to that. And let's not kid ourselves, many people who wouldn't get a second look if they were middle class get a lot of attention from the opposite sex if they're wealthy. And it's not always greed motivated. Wealth and power are genuine attractive agents, especially to women (basic evolutionary psychology there, not sexism. Females invest more in offspring, seeking a mate who can provide greater resources is bred in the bone) As for the "beauty mask" and all that. For one thing, those studies were indeed heavily biased toward Caucasian and Asian subjects (and really only certain Asian subpopulations). I think the most recent one also included Latin American groups, but I'm not sure. They also had some interesting results from that which are generally ignored. Many people scored the composite faces as beautiful or very pretty, but post experimental interviews and questionnaires often showed something along the lines of "She's very pretty, but not really for me." The long and the short of it is, there was a great deal of aesthetic appreciation of these faces, but, to put it bluntly, very few people wanted to sleep with them. There are some theories about this that suggest it's the little imperfections and asymmetries that allow us to get a handle on faces. "Perfect" faces are pleasing to the eye, but ultimately they're very forgettable. They're more like a painting or a landscape than a person. [/QUOTE]

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