Variation in the physical appearance of humans is believed by anthropologists to be an important factor in the development of personality and social relations in particular physical attractiveness. There is a relatively low sexual dimorphism between human males and females in comparison with other mammals. However humans are acutely sensitive to variations in physical appearance, some theorize for reasons of evolution. Some differences in human appearance are genetic, others are the result of age or disease, and many are the result of personal adornment.

Some people have traditionally linked some differences in personal appearance such as skeletal shape with race, such as prognathism or elongated stride (but this is a controversial and sensitive matter). Different cultures place different degrees of emphasis on physical appearance and its importance to social status and other phenomena.

The concept of the dandy was prevalent in the Western world prior to the contemporary period--namely, a man who devotes particular attention to his physical appearance. The concept bears various similarities with that of the metrosexual in recent history.

List by category

Physiological differences in human physical appearance from individual to individual

• Height, body weight, skin tone, sexual organs, moles, hair color and type, eye color, nose shape, body shape, body deformations, mutilations and other variations such as amputations, scars, and wounds. Genital modification and mutilation is particularly common in some cultures.

Long-term physiological changes in an individual

• Aging

Short-term physiological changes in an individual

• Blushing, crying, fainting, sexual arousal, reddening of the skin due to increased blood flow due to exertion. Sweating, shivering, skin color changes due to sunshine.

Clothing and personal effects

• clothing, including headgear and footwear; some clothes alter or mold the shape of the body (e.g. corset, support pantyhose, bra)
• style and colour of haircut (see also dreadlocks, braids, ponytail, wig, hairpin, facial hair, beard and moustache)
• cosmetics, stage makeup, body paintings
• body modifications, such as body piercings and tattoos
• decorative objects (jewelry) such as a necklaces, bracelets, rings
• medical or body shape altering devices (e.g. tooth braces, bandages, hearing aids, calipers, cervical collar, glasses, gold teeth)

Other functional objects, temporarily attached to the body

• jewelry
• sunglasses
• goggles
• watch
• headphones/handsfree phone headset
• electronics (e.g. PDA, cell phone, DAP)
• weapons

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

people

• Beauty
• Body image
• Clothing
• Common human variations
• Eigenface
• Face perception
• Facial symmetry
• Fashion
• Hair coloring
• Nudity
• Physical attractiveness
• Recognition of human individuals
• Sexual attraction
• Social aspects of clothing
• Social role of hair
• Sexual selection
• Ugliness
• Vanity

References

• A discussion of the possible effect of physical appearance on personality development at personalityresearch.org
• Page with a list of links to discussions of the role of physical appearance in sexual selection and evolution. We need to link to their links directly, having read them, as this page is a blizzard of pop-up ads