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Would rather that society stop obsessing over having perfectly straight teeth. If they are otherwise healthy, why spend that money and go through the painful ex

Would rather that society stop obsessing over having perfectly straight teeth. If they are otherwise healthy, why spend that money and go through the painful experience of straightening your teeth. It's entirely cultural (learned) to expect them to be perfect. Some cultures don't care (though in this globalized world, every culture is gradually expecting it).

aaron695 12y ago
Symmetry is not cultural but part of our genetics, some cultures care less because they have more important issues when looking at attractiveness like food and shelter security. Should burns victim who are healthy be able to get plastic surgery. Most people would think so. Genetic issues is no different to anything else that cause unusual looks. Where does it go from acceptable i.e. burns to the face, to it really shouldn't matter i.e. perhaps breast enlargement from average to larger than average, is hard to say. But I have no problem with a society where no one has looks that make them stand out in a negative way that they don't wish to have.
- vertex-four 12y ago
  > because they have more important issues when looking at attractiveness like food and shelter security Most of the rest of the developed world doesn't care about perfect teeth as much as the US does, despite often having more lifestyle security than the US.
- robotcookies 12y ago
  I don't know if symmetry is really that ingrained in our dna as necessary for beauty. Most people part their hair to a side (rather than down the middle). There are few things cuter than a kid who smiles to reveal a missing tooth on one side. And what about dimples? A dimple on one side is nice but having them on both sides would look odd. A lot of that is just what we are used to seeing. And as others have commented, people in places like the UK often see teeth that are too perfect as artificial looking.
  - mreiland 12y ago
    There's a clear difference between sexual attraction and the cuteness of a kid.
    - robotcookies 12y ago
      What? We're not talking about sexual attraction. What do you think beauty means?
      - mreiland 12y ago
        In context of people it means sexual attraction.

aaron695 12y ago

Symmetry is not cultural but part of our genetics, some cultures care less because they have more important issues when looking at attractiveness like food and shelter security. Should burns victim who are healthy be able to get plastic surgery. Most people would think so. Genetic issues is no different to anything else that cause unusual looks. Where does it go from acceptable i.e. burns to the face, to it really shouldn't matter i.e. perhaps breast enlargement from average to larger than average, is hard to say. But I have no problem with a society where no one has looks that make them stand out in a negative way that they don't wish to have.

vertex-four 12y ago
> because they have more important issues when looking at attractiveness like food and shelter security Most of the rest of the developed world doesn't care about perfect teeth as much as the US does, despite often having more lifestyle security than the US.
robotcookies 12y ago
I don't know if symmetry is really that ingrained in our dna as necessary for beauty. Most people part their hair to a side (rather than down the middle). There are few things cuter than a kid who smiles to reveal a missing tooth on one side. And what about dimples? A dimple on one side is nice but having them on both sides would look odd. A lot of that is just what we are used to seeing. And as others have commented, people in places like the UK often see teeth that are too perfect as artificial looking.
- mreiland 12y ago
  There's a clear difference between sexual attraction and the cuteness of a kid.
  - robotcookies 12y ago
    What? We're not talking about sexual attraction. What do you think beauty means?
    - mreiland 12y ago
      In context of people it means sexual attraction.