Beauty and interpersonal attraction: representations and social practices

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", "I'm sorry for the ugly, but beauty is fundamental". These and other phrases presented in social discourse bring with them a whole framework of knowledge and perceptions about these phenomena that are so present in everyday life. The values, concepts and understandings of the ideal body and its aesthetic standards, as well as those of an ideal love relationship and friendship, have been present throughout the centuries in all societies, and their manifestations have been conveyed through various forms of art, such as painting, sculpture, poetry and other literary works. Nowadays, these aesthetic and relational standards are taking shape and spreading through the mass media. It is socially considered that beautiful people are: more popular, intelligent, confident, sexually exciting, experienced, more likely to flirt and have friends, among other benefits. But what is beauty anyway? And how does beauty influence the process of interpersonal attraction? This book aims to introduce and problematise these issues, based on an up-to-date reference on the phenomenon of physical beauty and its relationship with interpersonal attraction.