What is physical attractiveness? A discussion of definitions and paradigms

Abstract

The article raises the issue of physical attractiveness both in terms of its definition and as a theoretical construct, which forms the basis for planning empirical research. Based on a review of existing definitions and a predictive analysis of the meaning of terms, a definition of physical attractiveness as one of the types of human attractiveness is proposed. The criteria differentiating physical attractiveness from the related concept of sexual attractiveness are presented. Physical attractiveness is discussed as an object of operationalization in the process of designing research on the assessment or self-assessment of the appearance and characteristics of the human body, including a distinction between its two approaches: holistic (a set of a characteristics whose evaluations are interrelated) and elementary (one characteristic whose evaluations impact the assessment of overall physical attractiveness).