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We Can All Go Home Now — A Mathematician Has Figured Out The Formula For Beauty

Were you expecting news this good on your first day back from work after the holiday? We sure weren’t. Lily Serna, a graduate student in mathematics has figured out the “Golden Ratio” for clothing, making it easy to calculate one’s ideal hemline using a simple equation:

The length of your body from shoulder tip (cm) + heel height (cm) divided by 1.618 = your golden number.

Obviously, we had to try it. We ended up with a Golden Number of 32.756, which, when measured out from the tops of our shoulders hits just a few inches above the knee. The three women tested in the article had similar experiences (emphasis ours):

Blogger Emma, who normally shys away from skirts, felt comfortable with her above-the-knee calculation for as she sported a black silk pleated number.

”I usually wear dresses or jeans as I have quite short, stocky legs but I feel fantastic. It’s definitely a confidence thing,” she said.

Student Amelia, 19, said her appropriate hem length at just above the knee was more conservative than her usual selections.

”It does make my legs look thinner,” she said of her cuffed shorts.

Marketing co-ordinator Josephine West, 58, usually prefers pants but was surprised at her appearance in a cocktail dress skimming her knees.

”My legs and body don’t look as good as they used to, and now I can hopefully feel excited about shopping,” she said.

Hm. Could it be that, rather than getting out a tape measure and calculator, these women could have just been told to pick out dresses that ended just above the knee? We guess that wouldn’t have sounded science-y or official enough. Although this equation was surely derived with the best of intentions, it’s always a pain to hear more “rules” about the way women should be dressing, even when they are disguised as highly precise and logical tips for achieving perfection. Truly, what does this do besides make women uncomfortable about any clothing they wear that doesn’t skim their knees? And these “discoveries” always, always seem to be in service of selling something.

The mathematics honours graduate – hired by razor brand Venus & Olay to create an illusion of perfect pins whatever a woman’s shape, size or age – drew on ancient principles of beauty, proportion and visual balance.

Aha! There it is.

[Via Daily Telegraph]

[Photo via Shutterstock]

TAGS: Beauty | Crocks | fashion

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