Sexual Attraction...is there a Pattern?

Have you ever been out with your friends when an attractive person walks by, and you all look at each other in approval? Or how about when someone that you think is unattractive walks past and you all show the same face of disapproval? Why is it that people seem to generally be in agreement with what "attractive" is and what it isn't?

I was scrolling through documentaries on Netflix, when I came across one entitled "The Science of Sex Appeal" by the Discovery Channel. The point of the documentary is pretty self-explanatory—to explore the science behind exactly what makes someone attractive. It touches on everything; from the golden ration being present in the face to the way a person walks. It goes into what makes a face attractive: symmetry (for both sexes), thinner jaws and eyebrows for women and the opposite for men. For female bodies, thinner waists (in the studies conducted, the ideal waist-to-hip ratio is 7:10) to the amount of lateral sway in her hips all play a part in attractiveness. A proposal was made in the beginning of the video that said that by humans choosing these attractive people, they are unconsciously saying that these people have good genes, and if they were to be mates, they would have successful offspring (I'm assuming "successful" here refers to their offspring being attractive, and also having an attractive mate in the future).

The documentary dives deeper into the topic, explaining that sexual attractiveness isn't only skin-deep. The pitch of a person's voice also plays a role in attractiveness.Women prefer a deeper-pitched voice, and men, a higher-pitched voice. Women with higher estrogen levels tend to have these higher voices, and men with more testosterone tend to have the deeper voices. The more estrogen present, the more attractive the female's body, and the same with men and testosterone. The fact that women sound and look more sexually attractive when they're ovulating was also observed. Another study was done in which women smelled numerous samples of odor-filled clothing from males who were previously exercising. The study showed that women within a day or two of ovulation, or who had significantly different MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) genes from the male scent, found the scent to be attractive.

Relating this back to Intro to Cultural Studies, perhaps we aren't attracted to bodies because of how our culture portrays what "beauty" is. Perhaps it has been hardwired into our brains naturally. Maybe we just know attractiveness, regardless of outer influences.