Scientists Reveal the Unexpected Star Who Tops the ‘Perfect Face’ List—Is Your Favorite Among Them?
Isn’t it just wild how every year we collectively gather around the great bonfire of subjective beauty and hand out crowns like it’s a cottagecore prom night? This time around, the “sexiest man alive” sash is gracefully draped over Jonathan Bailey’s shoulders by People magazine—a fact which, if I’m being candid, has me both nodding emphatically and side-eyeing my own bathroom mirror with existential dread. But let’s pause for a nanosecond and consider: With literally billions of faces bobbing around this planet, what magic algorithm—divine? mathematical?—separates Bailey from, say, your cousin’s hunky orthodontist?
Here’s where things go off the gloriously photogenic rails: enter the “golden ratio”—that ancient (possibly mythical?) yardstick for physical perfection, beloved by Greek philosophers and, apparently, cosmetic surgeons everywhere. Supposedly, it’s all a matter of proportions—cheekbones here, lips there, chin bravado firmly in place. But is a golden ratio face really “better,” or did Plato just have a thing for symmetry? I find myself torn between awe and hilarity at the seriousness with which these lists are compiled. I mean, I celebrate Bailey’s title—his dog-cuddling, shirt-misplacing magazine spreads are a national treasure—but it’s equally delightful to know science might knock him down the annual ranking with a calculator and a ruler.
So, if you’ve ever wondered whether your forehead-to-lip ratio is holding you back from global acclaim, fear not—there’s a whole pantheon of near-perfect faces waiting for your reverence (and relentless comparison). Ready for a journey through idealized beauty, snark, and more eyebrow math than your high school algebra class? LEARN MORE
Fret no more, ladies and gentlemen, for the council of attractiveness has convened and named Wicked star Jonathan Bailey as the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’.
Of course, looks are all in the eye of the beholder and in this case the beholder was whomever People magazine chooses to define what makes a person better looking than everyone else.
The actor said it was ‘the honour of a lifetime’ to be told that for 2025, at least, he was a more appealing specimen of man than the other several billion blokes on the planet.
The magazine has put out covers of him looking dreamy while water is being poured over him and of Bailey cuddling a dog, while having apparently misplaced his shirt.
He’s the latest in a long line of hunky men to have been given this accolade, but according to something called the ‘golden ratio‘ there are a handful of more fetching faces out there.
Good for him (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
What is the golden ratio?
Of course, there’s more to sexiness than just your face, you’ve got to have several other factors pulling for you which all add up to a general aura, or ‘rizz’ as the kids these days apparently call it.
Jonathan Bailey may have all that but having a face that could launch a thousand ships certainly doesn’t hurt either, and that’s where the golden ratio comes in.
The golden ratio claims that when you draw a line which divides something into the proportions 1:1.618 it creates the ideal dimensions, with plenty of examples found in nature and it being carried over into architecture.
When applied to the human face the golden ratio looks for a face that’s 1.618 times longer than it is wide, and for that ratio to be replicated on the distance from the top of the nose to the centre of the lips to the distance from the centre of the lips to the chin.
The distance between your hairline and your upper eyelid should be that ratio compared to the distance between the top of your eyebrow and your lower eyelid.
Meanwhile, your lower lip should have more volume than your upper lip.
This all seems rather complicated, but there are plenty of famous faces with a visage which comes close to these rules and here’s the top 10.
According to the golden ratio, there’s no famous person with a better face than Jodie Comer (Marc Piasecki/WireImage)
Jodie Comer – 94.52 percent
The golden ratio has said Jodie Comer is the most beautiful woman in the world for several years now, with many of her features coming closer to what these rules would deem perfection than anyone else.
Of course, the fact that the top of the list falls just short of 95 percent closeness suggests that the golden ratio isn’t so much an ideal to strive for as an unattainable goal.
It was the Ancient Greeks who first came up with using the principles of the golden ratio to measure beauty so the Killing Eve star would have done rather well in the days of Plato and Socrates if not for the fact that women were banned from public entertainment.
Cosmetic surgeon Dr Julian De Silva, of the Centre for Advanced Facial Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, said: “Jodie Comer was the clear winner when all elements of the face were measured for physical perfection.
“She had the highest overall reading for the positioning of her nose and lips… Jodie also had the highest score for her nose width and length and she was near the top for the shape of her lips and the position of her eyes.
“Her chin is beautifully shaped and her overall face shape is really strong. The only element she was marked down for was her eyebrows which achieved an average score of 88 percent.”
The silver medal goes to Zendaya (Francois Durand/Getty Images)
Zendaya – 94.37 percent
Coming in at a close second is singer and Spider-Man star Zendaya, who was 99.5 percent of the way to having what someone decided was the perfect set of lips.
Dr De Silva said her forehead clocked in at 98 percent, which is apparently good.
Zendaya is in a relationship with her Spider-Man co-star Tom Holland, who is a good looking chap himself, and the couple have mentioned that there is a bit of a height difference between them which has made some of the stunts where he’s supposed to land before her a smidge tricky.
Bella Hadid takes the bronze medal, not that one is being handed out (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Bella Hadid – 94.35 percent
The model, who recently discovered she has a half-sister, takes the third spot on this list just behind Zendaya.
According to the cosmetic surgeon, out of everyone on the list it was Hadid ‘achieving top score for her eye position and her chin’, so she’ll be sure to congratulate those assets at the next opportunity.
This Barbie has been nominated for three Academy Awards (Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Margot Robbie – 93.43 percent
There is a reason why the Australian actor was cast for the lead role in Barbie, and why the movie had a meta joke based on her appearance.
There’s a point in Barbie where the title character laments being ‘not pretty anymore’ and not ‘stereotypical Barbie’ pretty, at which point the film’s narrator (Helen Mirren) says: “Note to the filmmakers: Margot Robbie is the wrong person to cast if you want to make this point.”
Quite.
Killing zombies, fighting on trains and serving face (Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Aaron Taylor-Johnson – 93.04 percent
The 28 Years Later star is said to be in the running to be the next James Bond for a reason, as the famous spy has typically been a handsome fellow.
He’s the highest scoring man on the list so perhaps next year he’ll nab Jonathan Bailey’s crown as ‘Sexiest Man Alive’.
The South Korean actor Song Hye-kyo has had a long career in TV (HLL/Imazins via Getty Images)
Song Hye-kyo – 92.67 percent
One of South Korea’s biggest TV stars, Song Hye-kyo takes the number six spot on this list in accordance with the guidelines of the golden ratio.
He’s lucky number seven on the list (Simon Ackerman/WireImage)
Lucien Laviscount – 92.41 percent
He’s the man with the face that makes you say ‘hang on, what else have I seen him in’, and it’s a well put together face at that.
Laviscount caused quite a stir last year posing for photos with Shakira and it resulted in a lot of people realising he’s the bloke off Emily in Paris.
She’s got one of the most recognisable faces in the world (Lyvans Boolaky/Getty Images)
Beyoncé – 92.40 percent
Normally known for her music, it turns out Beyoncé is also blessed with a face the Greeks would have approved of as well as the kind of voice to sell millions of albums worldwide.
The man with the face where everything is in the right place (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI)
Paul Mescal – 92.38 percent
There’s a reason why the Gladiator II star still managed to look good while carving his way through bad guys in the Colosseum, and his face being close to the golden ratio might help explain it.
Of course, props must go to the hair and makeup on the movies as well.
Surely any requirement for Batman is having a good chin (Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)
Robert Pattinson – 92.15 percent
Rounding out the top 10 is Batman himself, he used to be considered the most attractive man in the world but there are some famous chaps who’ve risen above him as far as the golden ratio is concerned.
Not to worry, as Pattinson has carved out an impressive acting career and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who thinks he doesn’t look nice.
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