The Exceptional Beauty of Women (In Animal Kingdom It’s Vice Versa)

Regardless of the battle of the sexes, it's commonly believed by men and women alike that women are more attractive than men, in general. However, this has left scientists wondering how it is that humans have evolved beautiful females, whereas in the wild, males tend to be more beautiful and woo the females.

Many animals and birds, like peacocks, have males who are more beautiful than females, but in humans, it is all vice-versa.  In the natural environment, males have to attract the females of their respective species, and often fight for mates.  Many tend to hide their beauty, as ostentatious fur, fins and plumage can attract danger.

Sometimes an animal's beauty may signify caution against some poisonous consequences of this or that variety.

But, as the Polish newsmagazine Polityka recently asked, how has it happened that in humans, all of this developed in reverse?

Scientists have come up with the following answer. The evolution of our intellect has led to an increase in the size of our brain and the skull that protects it, which, in its turn, has led to complications in childbearing. Labor and prolonged child-rearing demanded more of a mother’s attention, thus forcing her to require more of her mate.

Peacocks (Indian Peafowl )- she and he.

© Flickr / Tatters

This is where human evolution made a sharp turn, bringing the desirability of men into focus. As women developed a need for a reliable partner, the partner got the option to choose.

Researchers found that attractive women have more children than their less attractive counterparts, and that a higher proportion of those children are female.

Once those daughters grow up, they tend to be good looking themselves, and so the pattern is repeated as women become steadily more visually pleasing over the generations.