Is There An “Ideal Instagram Face” for Caucasian Female Influencers? A Cross-Sectional Observational Study of Facial Proportions in 100 Top Beauty Influencers

Abstract

Background In the digital arena, wherein younger generations predominantly spend their time, social media continues to determine what is considered beautiful. Social media, particularly Instagram, is becoming a prominent aspect of the plastic surgeon-patient relationship. Therefore, the beauty ideal escalates without any barriers and breaks. The majority of influencers look alike. This sets a new trend for a beauty ideal. Objectives The present study aimed to analyze the facial proportions of 100 top female beauty influencers, to evaluate them for identifying the ideal Instagram face, and to determine if there existed a deviation from the standard golden ratio. Methods We identified the top 100 beauty influencers, according to the latest rankings of November 2022. A detailed facial analysis has been conducted using the Fiji biomedical image analysis software. The primary outcome parameters included facial proportions such as lip ratio, Ricketts’ line, and nasal dimensions. Secondary outcomes comprised Body Mass Index (BMI), age, and ethnicity. The results were collected and analyzed descriptively using graphs and statistics. Results Complete datasets were obtained from the top 100 female beauty influencers with a mean age of 31.3 ± 6.3 years (range 24–38). The majority of influencers were Americans, followed by Germans and British. Based upon the mean of the aforementioned parameters, we could design the ideal Instagram face. There was no significant difference between the golden ratio and the new trend of the ideal Instagram face. Conclusions Despite the existence of varied ethnic population groups and non-standard measurements, the ideal Instagram face represents today’s ideal trending face. The ideal Instagram face is symmetrical, matching the golden ratios, with a small and neat nose, full and lush lips, high cheekbones, as also a sharp and chiseled jawline. Further studies on this topic, involving a greater number of influencers with standardized measurements, should be advocated to identify the ideal facial proportions. This will lead to improvements in invasive and non-invasive cosmetic treatments.