Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, diverse, informative
Review: "Survival of the Prettiest" collects together hundreds of points of research on beauty, linking them into a cohesive, well-written whole. The relevance of appearance is tracked from its theoretical origins to modern-day society; the author makes good use of both historical and contemporary evidence to make points in each chapter.With an extensive bibliography, this book provides the reader the chance to research further any individual topic discussed. Many points were made that floored me; the one that comes to mind easiest is that the American stereotypical role-model image of beauty has been changing slowly to incorporate the influences of many cultures. This book would make a wonderful coffee-table reader, as well as a useful read for anyone interested in understanding why attraction and beauty have so much influence on our everyday lives. Recommended reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Ignores something important...changing standards of beauty..
Review: Okay, I admit I haven't read this book to completion...but there's just so much ignored. If men prefer light skin...I mean *please* I suppose this means that Mexicans and Africans don't find their women sexy? Whatev. Just think about how many subcultures we have going on in the 90s -- hell, just look at high school cliques. Compare Hustler to On Our Backs to Cosmo. Check out Miss America in the 1950s, the 1970s and today. There have been different standards for eye shadow colors, the fit of pants, hip width, boob size and shape, height, millimeters between brow and eye, lip shape, hair style, the athletic look, the waif look, the vamp look, the bunny look. Doesn't anybody remember Marilyn Monroe? What about Jennifer Lopez's beautiful booty -- those that say it's too big and those that drool?? Yes, human beings have vicseral, inborn reactions to beauty, but there is just so much variation of beauty and we are conditioned to respond to the variation currently in vogue in our life times and in our social group. And consider this...the halo effect also works both ways, and there's been research to prove it. If you hand a group of people a list of good traits and a picture of someone, and hand another group of people the same picture and a list of bad traits, those two groups will describe the same person's looks in very different ways. People assume that nice looking people are also nice people. But when you're attracted to someone because they have personality traits you find appealing, you'll also find their faces and bodies quite attractive.
Rating: 
Summary: more intriguing evolutionary psychology fare
Review: "Survival of the Prettiest", to me was yet more fascinating evolutionary psychology fare. I just love this stuff. Don't be turned off by the introduction. It reads like an editorial and is actually more like a conclusion. It contains few of those juicy research tidbits that makes evolutionary psychology so interesting. The juicy bits of information start in the second chapter and keep going right on into the last. This book read like a page turning murder mystery. If you liked "Survival of the Prettiest" you might also like the following books: Robert Wright, The Moral Animal: Why we are the way we are, the new scinece of evolutionary psychology; David Barash, The Whisperings Within; Matt Ridley, The Red Queen; Matt Ridley, Nature via Nuture; David Barash, The myth of Monogamy; and David Barash, Making Sense of Sex. Other books on my reading list are: Barash & Lipton, The Gender Gap, David Buss, The Evolution of Desire, and Geoffrey Miller, The Mating Mind.
Rating:
Summary: Mankind's love of the beautiful explained!
Review: In "Survival of the Prettiest," Nancy Etcoff states that beauty is *not* (ahem) in the eye of the beholder. Instead, she claims that beauty exists beyond personal preference, and offers evidence that our "love of beauty is deeply rooted in our biology." This argument is quite convincing. Below is a summary of just two of the points she makes: 1. While the ideal of beauty changes with the times, Etcoff pinpoints similarities across time and cultures. First and foremost, people are attracted to those who are similar to them. For example, Brazilians might feel that beautiful Brazilians are more attractive than beautiful Asians. Yet when asked to pick attractive Asians out of a crowd, Brazilians will generally identify Asians who are considered attractive by other Asians. So, people who are very different in appearance can still agree on some level about beauty in others! This indicates that preferences are at work which transcend continent and culture, making "the role of individual taste is far more insignificant" than we want to believe. 2. All people everywhere are hardwired to think that babies are beautiful; after all, babies are so needy that their survival depends on their appealingness. Intuitive, yes -- but when the research on infant beauty is juxtaposed with research confirming the worldwide male preference for women who look young, lots of things begin to make sense. For example, it shows that the common male desire for women to be "infant-like" -- or helpless, weak, and in need of a caregiver -- is part of the same process. These are just a two of the interesting points that Etcoff raises in this worthwhile book. It's well written, enjoyable, and unapologetic about its finding that instinct triumphs over common sense. Thus, although the book is about biology, the analysis it presents is sure to provoke thought among those who are interested in Darwinism, the media, and/or women's issues. Etcoff's conclusion: Although we may be dissatistfied with the emphasis our culture places on beauty, our desire to seek out beauty is neither good nor bad. It just is. And that's a good thing to know.
Rating:
Summary: interesting, scientific, well-documented
Review: Besides being an entertaining read, this book answers questions I have pondered before, like what does it mean to be beautiful and why are people attracted to beauty. I think these questions have been ignored by many because they're not especially politically correct and they may be deemed frivolous and unscientific. But Dr. Etcoff gives these issues the scientific and historical analysis they deserve, and she backs up her statements with hard facts. Dr. Etcoff also touches on related issues like fashion and, my favorite part of the book, scents. It doesn't seem like Dr. Etcoff had any kind of agenda while writing this book. This may be the main thing that sets this book apart from other writings on beauty. It is refreshingly impartial and intelligent.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting collection of studies.
Review: Coming from a background in psychology, I found the results of many of the studies Ms. Etcoff references to be very interesting and for the most part, ringing true with my own personal experiences. Yes, it is sad...beauty DOES matter and we are all swayed by it in some form or another. That being said, two things about this book really annoyed me. First, Ms. Etcoff really needs to double check some of her facts. Especially near the last few chapters where she begins to talk about the body measurements of supermodels and actresses! Performing a quick search on the internet does not yield the measurements she often cites for this elite cadre of women. In fact, many of the *famous* supermodels and actresses had (or have) hip measurements falling between the 34 and 36 (heck, Marilyn Monroe alone varied within and above these measurements during her time) inch mark. Sorry, but depending on her bone structure and muscular tone, a 5'7" woman with measurements in this range is hardly what I would consider as food deprived. It is not as rare and unachievable as Ms. Etcoff would have us believe - provided you can remember a time without *supersizing* any food group, double cheese pizza, and all those chocolates... And, please...the measurements for Audrey Hepburn ....I have several books on this woman's life...never have I seen measurements so tiny attributed to Ms. Hepburn (excepting her infamous 19 inch waist). My point is that this really lends doubt to how Ms. Etcoff has *interpreted* the other studies she cites in this book. Secondly, Ms. Etcoff points out all these interesting studies in her book and attempts to explain the reasons for these results as being a remnant trait built into the fabric of our existence - for breeding purposes, survival of the fittest, etc...but offers no enlightenment on how to really alter our perspectives since sex is now more for recreational purposes than procreative ones. I felt more like this book ratified men's continual desires for skiny yet large breasted lingerie models and women's desires for older, more well-off men as "genetic." Her only counter to this "spreading your seed" mentality is basically telling us to remember that we have a brain and are capable of higher intellect so we must try not to be dissuaded by beautiful people. Hardly what I call advice. Summing the book up... men (and women) are pigs--albeit pigs looking for two different acorns. My Dad gave me that advice a long time ago - and for free.
Rating:
Summary: Do not listen to overly negative reviews
Review: (...) If you are open minded and are more interested in the truth than a idealogical\politcal agenda, then this book will provide very invaluable insights. The author is a Harvard professor with a PHD in psychology. She seems like a preeminent authority in the field and her book shows it. Virtually every viewpoint is backed up by scientific research or strong rationale. Although few would agree with every single point of this book, even fewer would argue that author's opinions have no basis in fact or science. My only dissatisfaction with the book stems from the fact that the author provides dearth of advice or suggestions on how we should adapt our thoughts and behaviors based on the knowledge. In other words, this is NOT a self help book. Rather it is more like a PhD thesis on the evolution of the human sexuality, but of a high quality.
Rating:
Summary: ugly people are mulitplying exponentially as you read this
Review: An entertaining conjecture in this informative book is formed when the notion that beautiful couples beget further generations of beauties, is followed by the statistic that an increasing amount of ugly people are turning to plastic surgery.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, diverse, informative
Review: "Survival of the Prettiest" collects together hundreds of points of research on beauty, linking them into a cohesive, well-written whole. The relevance of appearance is tracked from its theoretical origins to modern-day society; the author makes good use of both historical and contemporary evidence to make points in each chapter. With an extensive bibliography, this book provides the reader the chance to research further any individual topic discussed. Many points were made that floored me; the one that comes to mind easiest is that the American stereotypical role-model image of beauty has been changing slowly to incorporate the influences of many cultures. This book would make a wonderful coffee-table reader, as well as a useful read for anyone interested in understanding why attraction and beauty have so much influence on our everyday lives. Recommended reading.
Rating: 
Summary: history repeats
Review: the "objective" beauty posited by this author rearticulates the kitsch aesthetic of the nazi's aryan ideal. the logic underpinning the thesis is flawed, and speaks into particular sets of gendered, racialised and commercial interests. it is deeply disturbing that this work may be constituted as legitimate academic endeavour as it contributes to, yet elides, the discourses of eugenics and racial hygiene. very scary stuff.
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