For those who appreciate exotic beauty only

In My Humble Opinion
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WARNING! Those who are offended by looks-ism may not want to enter. This thread is not for you! Likewise, those who are unable to stay calm and civil while discussing race, are similarly not welcome. (You know who I mean.)

How many think that people of mixed-race background tend, as a group, to be more beautiful?

I have several reasons for believing this. First, researchers who morph together the photos of a large cross-section of people tend to find that the resulting photo turns out very good-looking indeed. I think there was even something about this in Discover magazine.

But, you say, technology doesn’t matter, genetics do. OK, well, scientists also know that if a population’s gene pool stays the same for too long, you can get the inbred effect, which is not a very attractive look at all.

And for a real-world example, look at the most mixed population in the world: Latin Americans! Latins look like everything and come from everywhere. Latins can look Black, Asian, European, Indian or any combination of the four – something to appeal to everyone’s standards of beauty. And some have just the right mixture of Middle Eastern and Oriental features, a combination to DIE FOR. (It comes from the Spanish Mediterranean and Native American heritage, of course.) Nobody I know would refuse a date, based on looks, with a Latino boy or girl. Some of them might balk at going out with an Arab or a Chinese, but put them together and…BOINNNNG!!!

Also, people of mixed-race background may be more comfortable to be with, since they are often raised in more tolerant environments.

Of course, I could be wrong. Some of those same friends and family members express a preference for a particular race. Grandma always had the hots for Persian Farsi people. Asian friends think Koreans are the prettiest people. College friends who have travelled say Dutch girls are babe-alicious. Watching TV news, I always thought Somalis and Ethiopians were among the most beautiful people of East Africa. I know women who would melt at the feet of an Italian or Scandinavian man. And is it just coincidence that most of the actors who’ve played James Bond have been Irish, Scottish or Welsh? It’s that dark, mysterious Celtic look, you know. (Even in the movie “Zorro,” two of the lead roles were played by Welsh actors.) GrrrrrrrROWLF! Pant, pant!

So what do you all think? Is beauty cross-bred or localized?

If it’s the former, then let’s lift up all those artificial barriers, and await the Browning of the world!

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My RA at college – mixed Korean/Irish – Yummy!!!

Ann Curry on the Today Show!

A half-black, half-white girl at a former client of mine!

A whole mess of the Hispanic women on the subway!

I’d agree!

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I won’t dare to guess if that makes me or my sister attractive but I will say that without fail, if I go out with my friends, at some point, someone will walk up to me and ask me what my ethnic background is. Most can tell that I am not 100% Asian but they can’t figure out where the rest comes from. I’m not someone offended by the question.

I had originally, at the top of my post, said exactly what my ethnic background was but I think I’ll wait and offer up a link to a picture if anyone would like to see it - and then guess. :slight_smile: I’d be very impressed if someone could guess.

As for the OP = I like mixtures. As for myself, I just like that I grew up in a household with two different cultures. It probably did make me more understanding and open to other ways of doing things.

Tibs.

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Forgot the link. Any guesses?

http://hometown.aol.com/lstolpman

Tibs

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Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Tiburon are you Korean and White?

I ask because I am Korean and White, so that’s kind of my default assumption for anyone who is A/W.

This is a picture of me, people like to guess what I am, too. It doesn’t bother me too much, unless they ask if I am Japanese and when I tell them I’m Korean they don’t seem to be able to grasp the difference. :smiley:

I will be back later to finish my thoughts and post some pictures that demonstrate that mixed children, at least, are the most beautiful of all. Not that I’m biased or anything. :wink:

And Tiburon, you and your sister are very beautiful.

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Okay, I’m not going to say until more people guess!

Plus, I don’t think “White” counts as a guess! :slight_smile:

Tibs.

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I’ve had my dinner and I’ve put up conclusive proof, that at least as children, mixed race people are the most beautiful. :smiley:

The Evidence

As far as seriously answering the OP, I’d have to answer with a definate it depends on the person. I’ve heard lots of theories about what makes an individual most attracted to a certain look, but really who knows?

I happen to like all sorts of looking people, but I’ve only dated generic sort of white guys. You know, the kind you can’t tell where their families are originally from. Then again, I haven’t dated that many guys, since I hooked up with the mister when I was a taterteen. :smiley:

And what do you mean, white isn’t a guess??? Um, how about WASP, does that count? Oooh, this is hard, maybe English? Does American count?

Somebody please guess so she’ll tell us!

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You’re… Korean/German?

I’m korean, and judging from the pictures of your mother and friends i think you’re half korean. German is just a guess from your dad.

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While in general I agree with the premise that mixed race people as a group tend to be more attractive, I just have to put my two cents in about the Latino thing.

While there are definitely quite a number of stunningly beautiful Latino women, I would actually guess that there is a larger percentage of absolutely hideous Latinos as well. I mean, people who make you think “my god, I’m glad I don’t have to see that in the mirror every day”. And I know that this sounds harsh, but it’s just a personal observation.

I don’t know if anyone else would agree with this observation, or how it affects the hypothesis that multi-racial leads to better looking.

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I didn’t mention this because i didn’t want to offend anyone, but since TheNerd already said it, i might as well put in my 2 cents too.

I live in Guatemala. I’m surrounded by latinos. And from my observation, i’d have to agree with TheNerd. Maybe poverty has something to do with it. I dunno.

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I lean toward dark skinned Asians. Sometimes I lean toward them so hard I fall over. (Rimshot)

I am causacian, but I find other caucasians to be a little “bland” looking in terms of attractiveness. Don’t know how else to explain it but there it is.

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Wow, I’m impressed - though I do think my last name might have given away the German part.

Mother is Korean, Father is French-German, more German than French.

Good job!

Tibs.

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I’d say a lot of people of mixed race are very attractive, and from the pics of Tater and Tiburon and her sister, the sampling so far really supports this idea.

We have a work-study student in our office who is Dominican/Irish. Hubba hubba! My fellow middle-aged coworkers and I are probably not supposed to notice that he is ultra-attractive, but it’s pretty darn hard not to.

Then again, I think there’s also a lot of very good looking people who are not of mixed race. So to respond to the OP, I don’t think that either group is particularly more attractive, it depends on the individual. I think that I might notice more attractive people of mixed race, simply because after being raised in a neighborhood where everyone looked very much the same, someone who looks “different” to me is cause for some extra interest. In a scenario where almost everyone is Latino, a traditionally White or Black or Asian person might be considered the most exotic and beautiful.

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tatertot: LOL those are some dirty kids at the bottom of your webpage haha. Good thing they are in the tub getting clean. What a hair-do !

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Well I guess they’re not mixed, but Saudi women should be among the most beautiful women in the world. When I lived there I’d see a younger girl and think “Wow! She’s gonna be a stunner when she grows up!” But then they’re forced to start wearing those depressing black abayas, many of them get fat, and all you can see are those enchanting eyes…(sigh)

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When one considers that children of mixed parentage usually receive negative feedback from both of the races that they are a member of, I think that this is a good thread.

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My BF…oops! Fiance…is black/hispanic/Piute Indian/white and I think he is the best looking guy in the world. As a matter of fact, I’ve never been attracted to generic “white” people…odd.

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Most of the mixed-race people I have known were all quite attractive. Some were merely average looking, but I can’t remember any who I thought were ugly (except for one who had a horrible personality, but objectively I think he probably looked normal).

One possible explanation is that mixed-race people often do look “exotic” in that they possess some particular combination of features that is not common. For instance, a childhood friend of mine was mixed African-American and Filipina. Her skin, hair, and facial features were pretty typical for an African-American – except for her eyes, which looked like her mother’s. This gave her a distinctive look that many people found attractive. This is the opposite of the averaging out effect mentioned in the OP. Both explanations may be true; sometimes they may both even apply to the same person!

A somewhat less pleasant explanation is that in the US beauty standards are based on a white ideal. People with this cultural ideal in mind are likely to find mixed-race people who are partially white to be more attractive than completely non-white people (mixed or not). Of course this does not apply to all mixed-race people or everyone who finds them attractive, but I think it must sometimes be a factor.

On the subject of guessing someone’s ethnic background, I have found that people will often guess they a mixed-race person is a full-blooded member of some racial or ethnic group that they are not actually related to at all! For instance, I once overheard two friends trying to describe a woman who was not present to another person. After mentioning her build and hairstyle one friend said, “And I think she’s, what, Puerto Rican?” The other one said, “No, I think she’s a Filipina”. I had thought that the woman in question was a Latina, but when I saw that her ethnic background had become a matter of dispute I correctly guessed that she must be mixed. Once I realized that I even got the combination correct – half black and half white.

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Brazil will break your heart, the people are so beautiful. No, not just “carnival in Rio” glitzy beautiful. They’re a heady, gorgeous mixture of black, hispanic, asian, caucasian, native, everything.

Odd brain blip: the song “Carefully taught” from South Pacific was considered a bit extreme to my dad’s generation because it addressed miscegnation. A sophisticated white gone native, with children of mixed polynesian blood!

It’s wonderful, purely miraculously wonderful, that we’re finally seeing beauty where it is.

Sorry, just had a moment of joy there.
Veb

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Check out:

If you follow that link, you should see my cat, followed by a picture of my godchild, Elizabeth. Her father is from Trinidad, and her mother (my sister) is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She’s a beautiful child, and extremely smart, she has the best of all our genes.

The thing that kills me is that half of our “family” will not associate with my sis, her husband, or Elizabeth. Freakin’ Smegheads. I’ve stated B4 to them, anyone who has a prob with them has a prob with me.

Anyway, from my experience, the more diverse the genes, the better the mix. (I don’t know if that sounds quite right, just deal with me for a sec…) I’m trying to work up my courage to ask out an asian girl a couple departments down from me soon… heh, can’t wait to see what the “family” says if that works out!