Beauty is officially much more than skin deep, research has revealed. Experts who asked a panel of 1,000 women to define beauty in any way shape or form found seven out of the top ten attributes are internal rather than external characteristics.
Kindness, a sense of humour, good manners, compassion, confidence, intelligence and unselfishness all made the top ten.
The only three visual aspects to make the top ten were flawless skin, a great smile and bright eyes.
Respondents were also asked to compile a profile of a modern, beautiful woman, and she emerged as a brunette, with a dress size between 10 and 12 (and she watches Coronation Street).
Kelly Lloyd-Sanderson spokeswoman for Arbonne, which commissioned the study, said:
”It’s refreshing to see that so much of what women believe to be beautiful is linked to positive aspects of character, rather than too heavy a focus on appearance.
”The results show a healthy blend between being a strong, happy and compassionate woman and an appreciation for the physical side of beauty.
”The modern day profile of a beautiful woman is very relatable and far from what some see as a media-enhanced unreachable version of beauty.”
The study also found women believe beauty is defined by regular smiles, a comfortable nature with children and great hair.
Beauty also means smelling good, being charitable or generous and having soft skin.
On top of that long eyelashes, well manicured nails, a funny laugh and nicely pedicured feet were also hailed as important attributes.
The study also examined modern beauty and profiled the ‘perfect’ beautiful woman- she will be between a size 10 and a size 12 dress size, a 34C bra size and be aged 31 with brown hair in a long and wavy style.
Perhaps surprisingly, more than twice the number of respondents opted for brunette over blonde locks.
Her ambition in life would be to find a balance between work and family life, with the desire to raise a family seen as the most important of her goals.
In terms of personality she would be fun, cheerful and affectionate – and confidence was deemed crucial among the women voting, along with the need to be unpretentious.
The most attractive characteristics for our ‘beautiful’ woman included not take herself too seriously, not being picky with food and desire for self-improvement.
The ideal profile of beauty as seen by other women is someone who mostly dresses casually, but with the ability to adapt for the smart occasions.
Her favorite drink is the white wine spritzer and she might drink alcohol several times a week.
When it comes to her hobbies, women voted a passion for reading as the most integral to the modern beautiful woman, with cooking and eating out complementing an interest in travel.
But when it comes to staying in front of the television, the programmes she’d be glued to would include Coronation Street, EastEnders, This Morning and One Born Every Minute.
Comedy or romance films would be her genre of choice, while pop music is what gets today’s modern beauty dancing.
When it came to describing the looks of a modern beautiful woman, the panel were most likely to cite Kelly Brook and Cheryl Cole as celebrity examples, with Jennifer Aniston third.
Arbonne spokeswoman Kelly Lloyd-Sanderson continued:
”It’s reassuring to see that British women have a grounded view of what they believe makes a person attractive and that it’s not something dependent on money, status or power.
”In fact, the profile of beauty shown here is almost modest and shows that what is more important is a focus on self-development and happiness with yourself, rather than concentrating on an airbrushed idea of what beauty is.”
TOP 20 THINGS THAT MAKE A WOMAN BEAUTIFUL
1. Kindness
2. Great smile
3. Sense of humour
4. Nice manners
5. Compassion
6. Confidence
7. Intelligence
8. Bright eyes
9. Unselfish
10. Flawless skin
11. Smiles a lot
12. Good with children
13. Nice hairstyle
14. Smells good
15. Charitable
16. Soft skin
17. Long eyelashes
18. Manicured nails
19. Funny laugh
20. Pedicured feet
PROFILE OF THE MODERN BEAUTIFUL WOMAN:
CHEST SIZE: 34 C
DRESS SIZE: 11
HAIR STYLE AND COLOUR: Brown, long and wavy
AGE: 31
DRESS SENSE: Casual/smart
PERSONALITY: Doesn’t take herself too seriously. Not a fussy eater. Tries to improve herself.
EDUCATION: Bachelors degree
FAVOURITE DRINK: White wine spritzer
HOBBIES: Reading, cooking and eating out, travel
MUSIC: Pop music
TV PROGRAMMES: Coronation St, EastEnders, This Morning, One Born Every Minute
