Reviews for Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty - Nancy Etcoff - Hardcover

The average rating for Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty - Nancy Etcoff - Hardcover based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-04-03 00:00:00 Robert Sparhawk Only read this book if you are "attractive," like me, or someone who reminds you of me. If you are not as "attractive" as me, this book will be for you like the 10th circle of Dante's Inferno. You will suddenly be aware of and feel cursed by your massive collection of bad genes. You will suddenly feel like extra cargo on the ocean liner that is the human race. You'll understand why for years nobody liked you very much, nobody picked you for a dance partner, or dropped a valentine in those paper bags attached to the side of your desk. You'll suddenly have insight into why nobody wanted you to come to fun parties on the weekend. Why? Because you weren't pretty enough. Maybe history hitherto has not be a conflict between classes, but between the pretty (again: me) and the not so pretty (not looking like me). In conclusion, stay away from sharp objects.

Review # 2 was written on 2007-05-02 00:00:00 Neil Ward I read this immediately after reading The Beauty Myth because it was billed as a rebuttal. The idea is that "beauty" is not a social construct after all, but an evolutionary fact. Since it was billed as a rebuttal, I feel compelled to rate them against each other. Survival is definitely easier to get through. It is better written. It is full of fun facts and studies. I read both books on vacation and Survival definitely seemed more appropriate for the beach! But I couldn't help but feel that it didn't have a cohesive argument; it didn't have something important to say like The Beauty Myth did. I think the main mistake was inviting the comparison by referencing The Beauty Myth. As a stand-alone book about why we find certain characteristics attractive, it was very interesting and I'm glad I read it. But I wasn't convinced that evolution is all that is going on. And strangely, even though it was a lighter read, it was actually more depressing. If it's evolution, we're working against "billions" of years of conditioning- conditioning that makes sense! We like thick blond hair and small waists because they indicate youth, health, and strong reproductive capability. The logical conclusion is that you are not only ugly... you are unhealthy and infertile. And getting old. Yikes. That comes dangerously close to reaffirming the old idea that beauty indicates goodness. I don't think we want to go back down that path, do we?