The Numbers Game

Can mathematics prove whether you’re hot or not?

- Meriam Ahari

One might argue that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but social media believes otherwise. With pass-or-fail tests going viral, like the ‘Thigh Gap’ and ‘A4 Waist’ challenge, society has created unequivocal ideals of what is and is not considered beautiful, leaving very little room for anything in between. Using such black-and-white formulae to determine whether someone is good-looking may seem impractical, yet scientists continue to utilise ratios, equations, and proportions to quantify beauty. But can one’s attractiveness be validated by simple math?

Take for example, the ‘Finger-Trap Test’ that originated in China in 2014 and has been circulating the internet since. It claims to determine whether or not you’re attractive by simply placing your pointer finger on your nose and chin. If your lips do not touch your finger, you’re considered beautiful.If they do, then hopefully you have a great personality.

According to facial plastic surgeon and director of The Esthetic Clinic, Mumbai, Dr Debraj Shome, this ‘Finger- Trap Test’—also known by its more tactless name, the ‘Beauty and Ugliness Identification Method’—is based on Rickett’s E-Line, which is used by cosmetic surgeons to create the ‘ideal’ profile in which the nose and chin are aligned. “If your lips touch your finger, it means there’s not enough protuberance of the chin, so you probably need a little bit of filler or something to help transform that part of the face,” explains Dr Shome.