# Why Are Racially-Mixed People More Attractive Than 'Purebreds'? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 22, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352 "2004-07-22T15:14:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/21 "2004-07-22T22:33:21Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Actually, it could probably be stated as a fact (or at least a scientific hypothesis with experimental support) that folks tend to find people with features that have been “averaged” more attractive. > > There was an article in, I believe, ‘Discover’ magazine, where a researcher had digitally combined or “averaged” many facial photos, and was surprised to find that the more photos put together, the more attractive the end result was. I remember that article, and read it two or three times. A few years later, I was inspired to find and download a program that allowed me to do my own facial averaging. My results were much like those in the Discover ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/22 "2004-07-22T22:44:40Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Actually, it could probably be stated as a fact (or at least a scientific hypothesis with experimental support) that folks tend to find people with features that have been “averaged” more attractive. > > There was an article in, I believe, ‘Discover’ magazine, where a researcher had digitally combined or “averaged” many facial photos, and was surprised to find that the more photos put together, the more attractive the end result was. I remember that article, and read it two or three times. A few years later, I was inspired to find and download a program that allowed me to do my own facial averaging. My results were much like those in the Discover article; a very feminine (perhaps hyper-feminine) and attractive face. My wife saw the final product, and said that the face was attractive, but would not stand out in a crowd. My conclusion was that there are certain gender-specific features that we pick up on and flag as attractive, but unique features and asymmetry are what make a face striking, rather than a similarity to “standard.” Personally, I get weak in the knees over dark skin, a slightly triangular face and large, almond-shaped eyes, but not always in those combinations. Sometimes only one of those features is all I need to be smitten. Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/23 "2004-07-22T22:58:21Z")
Many people have danced yet iluded aroudn this possibility: genetically speaking, you get half of your chromosomes from one race which has different typical immunizations and resistances to certain illnesses and you get half from a race which has different ones. This creates a hybrid with more immunizations, someone less likely to become terminally ill, and thus someone more attractive to mate with and someone who will help to pass on your DNA. Better offspring and all that. So, you see this person who would be better to have a kid with because the kid with your DNA would be more likely to survive natural diseases, and thus think they are more suitable for mating. Yea, I just thought of all that aka pulled it out of my ass. I have a vague understanding of evolution and genetics so bite me if it is wrong. Just my two cents and all. ---
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/24 "2004-07-22T23:07:58Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > > [@Illinois\_Boy](#): > > > > 1. This I think is the most likely: since mixed race people are still relatively rare, the examples we do see may come through the media rather than real-life. We get the aforementioned Irish/Brazillian (whatever) bikini model, or Rosario Dawson, or some other celebrity, and that skews our perception of the whole. > > I think this is a HUGE factor. Definitely. What cell-phone/McDonalds/beer commercial does not have one of those hip prettyboys/girls with a halfro? ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/25 "2004-07-23T00:00:08Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > I used to think that I was the only one who felt that people who are multi-racial are usually more attractive than people who aren’t, but I now realize that many others share this opinion. > > Why is it that, generally speaking, multi-racial people more physically attractive than people whose parents are of the same race? Does continued breeding within a single race cause deleterious recessive genes to accumulate, causing homeliness in their offspring?? > > Thanks. Thank You…I am a classic example of that. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/26 "2004-07-23T00:07:44Z")
> [@citrus x paradisi](#): > > > [@Phase42](#): > > > > One of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen was a swimsuit model whose racial background was a blend of Japanese/Hawaiian/Mexican/Irish. She was absolutely stunning. > > Masuimi Max? 😉 Mmmm, Masuimi Max… I’m not sure what her ethnic background is, but every part of her came out 100% perfect! ---
**Author:** ![cromulent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@cromulent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cromulent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/27 "2004-07-23T00:26:05Z")
> [@ZebraShaSha](#): > > Many people have danced yet iluded aroudn this possibility: genetically speaking, you get half of your chromosomes from one race which has different typical immunizations and resistances to certain illnesses and you get half from a race which has different ones. This creates a hybrid with more immunizations, someone less likely to become terminally ill, and thus someone more attractive to mate with and someone who will help to pass on your DNA. Better offspring and all that. So, you see this person who would be better to have a kid with because the kid with your DNA would be more likely to survive natural diseases, and thus think they are more suitable for mating. > > Yea, I just thought of all that aka pulled it out of my ass. I have a vague understanding of evolution and genetics so bite me if it is wrong. Just my two cents and all. If half 'n half hybrids are genetically “fitter,” shouldn’t we simply be attracted to people who are a different race than ourselves, thereby creating hybrid children? If you’re white and find yourself attracted to people who are white/Asian, your kids will be 75% white, and if you assume that 50/50 hybrids are the most fit, your kids will be worse off (according to this theory.) There are plenty of lovely mixed-race people out there. I agree with the other posters who have said that the idea that they are better looking than those of us who are boring monoracial people is mostly an example of selection bias and the media images we’re exposed to. There are too many holes in the genetic explanation. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/28 "2004-07-23T01:01:14Z")
Another vote for exoticism. People spend more time looking at people who are racially ambigious. I know people mean well when they remark about the attractiveness of “mixed” people, but I also find it to be annoying sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/29 "2004-07-23T16:30:00Z")
> [@citrus x paradisi](#): > > Masuimi Max? Nope. But it sounds like I’d like to see her… I think her name was something like Leilani Kei, or Kai, something like that. I probably have some photos of her on a CD somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/30 "2004-07-23T16:58:32Z")
A buddy of mine is half black, half Puerto Rican. His woman is Korean. Their kids are the most adorable I have ever seen (except for my nephew, but of course he’s going to be good looking, because he shares genes with me 😃 ). ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352/31 "2004-07-23T23:10:35Z")
I use to kinda know a family who’s mother was an average looking anglo white bread woman. Her husband was average looking Malaysian ( or somewhere in that part of the world.) They had a bunch of boys. Every one of them got the best parts of each of their parents and were hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, and hot. The drool factor for me was about flood level warnings whenever I saw them. That skin, the dark eyes, dark hair, cheek bones…oooooh. We have a few mixed kids at my son’s school. One girl is a black-white mix that is so stunning, spectacularly so, everyone notices her. Everyone.Notices.Her. She like Vanessa Williams kinda stunning. And she’s only in 2 or 3rd grade. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-racially-mixed-people-more-attractive-than-purebreds/256352.md?page=1)