As a boy he grew plants up his bedroom wall. Patrick Blanc's most recent vertical garden is eight stories tall.
posted by alms on Sep 6, 2009 - 27 comments

Researchers have found that beautiful women have more children than their plainer counterparts and that a higher proportion of those children are female. Those daughters, once adult, also tend to be attractive and so repeat the pattern.
posted by monospace on Jul 28, 2009 - 111 comments

BBC iPlayer: As the American phenomenon of the children's beauty pageant hits the UK, this documentary uncovers a surreal new world where nine-year-olds get fake tans and seven-year-olds wear contact lenses. [more inside]
posted by nam3d on Jul 22, 2009 - 41 comments

"If you were to describe me without anyone being able to see me, they would think I am a monster (Guardian video + article), that I am not fuckable. But if they see me, that could perhaps change." While French artist ORLAN's work spans decades and mediums (FR, may be NSFW), she is perhaps best known for her 1990s performance series "The Reincarnation of Saint-ORLAN" wherein ORLAN filmed herself receiving seven different plastic surgeries (NSFW) while entirely conscious. [more inside]
posted by nonmerci on Jul 6, 2009 - 26 comments

Extraordinarily Weird But Beautiful Flowers, Apparently there are also ugly flowers.
posted by twoleftfeet on Jun 21, 2009 - 15 comments

Elizabeth Wurtzel writes: Because I need to make a point, I’m just going to be immodestly candid: I was a remarkably adorable child, the kind with such rosily expressive cheeks that grown-ups couldn’t resist pinching them. So when I became a teenager and then an adult, I was what you would call a hot number or something like that—at any rate, they put me half-dressed on the covers of my books to sell them, so draw what you will from that. Now that I’m in my forties, people say, I think kindly, She still looks good. This is to be followed by a phase of …for her age, which is hot on the trail of handsome, and then—then who knows? I think it deteriorates from there, enough so that the vain among us start to look forward to death, or at least stop resisting its horrific pull. (via)
posted by Joe Beese on May 29, 2009 - 175 comments

"What you're looking for as a retoucher is a broom, something that covers your tracks, some way of obscuring where you've been. The first thing [most] people take out is bloodshot eyes. That's the last thing I take out—the last thing I'd, like, just wipe, because that just makes it look retouched." -- from Jesse Epstein's video op-ed for the NY Times, based on her film Wet Dreams and False Images ("I know that's not airbrushed. I could put a million dollars that's not airbrushed."), one of three related short documentaries on physical perfection. "Each head has to be identical to the other head, so we don't want anybody putting sandpaper to the head." -- from 34 x 25 x 36. Via the latest installment of Shakesville's Impossibly Beautiful series. (Previous posts on retouching.)
posted by maudlin on Apr 3, 2009 - 51 comments

Tara Wheeler, Miss Virginia 2008, will shave her head if she can raise $500,000 for pediatric cancer research by April 11th.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero on Mar 16, 2009 - 40 comments

Lucie DeBelkova is a photographer. She has traveled to at least 76 countries, including Mongolia, Scotland and Iran. Here is one of her favorite photos. Here is another. And here is her flickr stream. Enjoy!
posted by jason's_planet on Mar 10, 2009 - 17 comments

He Saw, She Saw. According to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, beauty may affect men's and women's brains in different ways.
posted by sarabeth on Feb 23, 2009 - 33 comments

Three scanning electron microscope images of the plant Nicotiana alata.
posted by Brandon Blatcher on Jan 29, 2009 - 47 comments

Some cool houses. There are also some cool photos and such, but it's the houses that caught my eye. [more inside]
posted by cjorgensen on Dec 30, 2008 - 4 comments

Brain reorganizes to make room for math. But does math easily lead to truth? Is it really just beauty?
posted by twoleftfeet on Nov 23, 2008 - 31 comments

This is a really creepy mash up of the Rejuvenique infomercial and Joe Cocker's "You are so Beautiful to Me".
posted by rageagainsttherobots on Nov 18, 2008 - 31 comments

Calgon! (Gregorian Chants) Take Me Away!!!!! [more inside]
posted by snsranch on Oct 25, 2008 - 13 comments

A beautification engine developed by computer scientists from Israel. Before and After shots.
posted by gman on Oct 9, 2008 - 67 comments

Library Finds is seriously beautiful photography and explication of little-seen gems in the library stacks, from a self-confessed "techie, not a librarian, who is quite fortunate to be surrounded by books everyday". From the green to the teal and now to the blue.
posted by donnagirl on Sep 26, 2008 - 18 comments

Here's an article and slideshow to help escape the worries of the world. A great article and slideshow about the Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu (Southeastern India). (NYTimes)
posted by SeizeTheDay on Sep 25, 2008 - 8 comments

"60% of men trim their pubes. What, really?"
posted by Artw on Sep 15, 2008 - 192 comments

Data-Driven Enhancement of Facial Attractiveness
posted by phrontist on Sep 8, 2008 - 39 comments

Justine Dream Experiment (NSFW)
posted by Christ, what an asshole on Jun 27, 2008 - 57 comments

Positive Exposure is a beautiful photographic portrayal (pdf)of people with genetic disorders. via [more inside]
posted by hortense on Apr 25, 2008 - 7 comments

I want to put winter behind me like any other right-thinking Midwesterner, but these trees are too cool to ignore. [more inside]
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia on Apr 10, 2008 - 19 comments

Where has all the pubic hair gone? After sweating through the [eight-year-old girl's] eyebrow wax, Engle [...] was directed to give her pint-size client a … bikini wax. “But … there’s nothing there, right?” I ask Engle. “I mean, at eight? Am I forgetting something?” “Nope,” she says. “There’s not. Doesn’t matter. That’s when the mothers are starting them these days.”
posted by desjardins on Apr 4, 2008 - 207 comments

Breathtaking photos. No further links necessary. Rarindra Prakarsa is a photographic amazement.
posted by pjern on Feb 12, 2008 - 122 comments

"I believe that before anything art should bring happiness to the viewer." ~ Adib Fattal, Syrian Painter who infuses his work with bright colours (Titanic), optimistic scenes of places he remembers as a child (Jenin, Palestine), and wild life (Return of the Birds). More of his work here. [via]
posted by hadjiboy on Feb 12, 2008 - 13 comments

Bleachbum: for a youthful appearance everywhere BleachBum.com is your source for information about anal bleaching products and procedures. Anal bleaching is one more way holly wood celebrities try to stay younger. While rectal bleaching isn't for everyone, some people are interested in maintaining a youthful look...everywhere.
posted by Flem Snopes on Jan 24, 2008 - 90 comments

Huang Chuncai poses before his second tumour operation. (slideshow) [more inside]
posted by kliuless on Jan 8, 2008 - 43 comments

Form and Pheromone - truly lovely beetle mosaics and insect art. (via recogedor) Previously: Living Jewels.
posted by madamjujujive on Dec 3, 2007 - 20 comments

Paper sculpture from Richard Sweeney. (More MeFi paper sculpture from Cooperman and Callesen)
posted by salishsea on Nov 13, 2007 - 5 comments

Movie stars. What have they got that you haven't got? A professional retoucher. (via YesbutNobutYes) [more inside]
posted by Dave Faris on Sep 12, 2007 - 78 comments

Miss Teen South Carolina, why are Americans bad at geography?
posted by mathowie on Aug 26, 2007 - 170 comments

Okay, it wasn't exactly banned, but the new Dove ad for their anti-aging products-- featuring tastefully nude older women-- was pre-emptively rejected by broadcast networks. Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty shares reactions, lets you meet the cast, and invites you to discuss. Previously on MetaFilter: Dove's short "Evolution" about how image-manipulation distorts beauty standards.
posted by hermitosis on Jul 18, 2007 - 68 comments

The Super-K is a neutrino observatory in Japan; it is 1000 meters underground, contains a lake of 50,000 tons of pure water & every inch of the the 41 meter high walls are lined with over 11,000 photomultiplier tubes. It is also one of the most amazing man made objects I've ever seen images of. Super high res photos available here. More photos of the construction & recent restoration. Via.
posted by jonson on Jul 3, 2007 - 49 comments

Make Me Heal is an online community serving the needs of America's vast cosmetic surgery audience, with tips & tricks on what works best to heal scarring, etc, including an encyclopedia of terms. To promote their vision of "Celebrating Natural Beauty With Enhancement" they're hosting the first ever Plastic Surgery Beauty Enhancement Awards, with categories like Best Breast Augmentation (NSFW) and Best Male Liposuction." Contestants must submit before, during & after shots of the procedure, and site visitors can vote on their favorites.
posted by jonson on Jul 2, 2007 - 26 comments

The hypnotic beauty of the average face. When you average out peoples facial features, the result is strangely beautiful. Which is odd. This captivating website lets you play with facial averaging and design your own people. You can upload your own face and nudge it towards the dark-eyed loveliness that we seem programmed to desire. There are also links to theories suggesting why average people, instead of being bland, are hot. Facial averaging has been discussed before. More on facial beauty from Germany and St Andrews.
posted by grahamwell on Jun 18, 2007 - 43 comments

The Traveling Rings At Santa Monica Beach
posted by jason's_planet on Apr 5, 2007 - 12 comments

What's attractive? Averaged female faces from Hot or Not "These women do not exist.They are a composite of about 30 faces that I created to find out the current standard of good looks on the Internet." also by age and origin
posted by petsounds on Feb 12, 2007 - 103 comments

Geiko of Kyoto is a stunning photo gallery of Kyotos's Geisha - both the mature Geiko and the apprentice Maiko. Melissa Chasse annotates many photos with fascinating details and offers an account of her tea party with Mamechika, a lovely Maiko. For more, this lovely Geisha site offers a brief history from the era of the floating world, more photos, Ukiyo-e art, and links. Also see y2karls' prior definitive post on ukiyo-e.
posted by madamjujujive on Sep 23, 2006 - 17 comments

The Slimming Camera.
posted by longdaysjourney on Sep 18, 2006 - 101 comments

A new study by evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa suggests there are more beautiful women than handsome men, finding that attractive people are significantly more likely to have a daughter than a son. Previous Kanazawa research found big and tall parents, scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and violent men tend to have sons; while nurses, social workers and kindergarten teachers tend to have daughters. [Via]
posted by CodeBaloo on Aug 4, 2006 - 57 comments

A splash of urban colour! A dilapidated tower block in Glasgow was the setting for a riotous splash of colour this week as Sony followed up their previous Bravia tv campaign of the bouncing balls down the streets of San Francisco with a new advert using a disused towerblock in Glasgow. Some beautiful urban explosion pics here, here, here, here and here.
posted by ClanvidHorse on Jul 26, 2006 - 20 comments

There aren't many places in the United States that can count poetry societies run by Afghan cab drivers. Washington has two. And they don't like each other.
posted by jason's_planet on Jul 21, 2006 - 23 comments

Beautiful women show us your boobs. Australian model Erin McNaught’s, now dubbed McNaughty, ”topless scandal” in the Australian magazine Zoo has boosted her chances for winning Miss Universe on Sunday. She is one of the bookmaker’s favorites together with Shakira’s cousin.

Whatever happened to inner beauty?

Since Miss Universe is owned by Donald Trump, who has two things on his mind, money and beautiful girls, his praise for her (after the “topless scandal” and media attention) has made her the favorite she is.

What will the future bring? Will we see a lot more topless scandals, home made porn movies and “worse” from now on to get mr. Trumps and media's attention? Time and Internet will show.
posted by Grums on Jul 21, 2006 - 56 comments

300 Miles High
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Jul 17, 2006 - 18 comments

Meet punk, Don, Kawaii, Satan's Little Helper, and the incredibly colorful cast of characters that populate photographer Igor Siwanowicz's world. (via Mira y Calla)
posted by madamjujujive on Apr 4, 2006 - 19 comments

Mocan and Tekin aren't sure why criminals tend to be ugly. Is it that ugly people make less money? Is it that they are given lower grades? Is it that people are just mean to them and they hate the world? Or does their asymmetry hint at psychological imperfections like criminal tendencies? Scientist have long suspected a connection between crime and physiognomy.
posted by missbossy on Feb 20, 2006 - 57 comments

What is Beauty ? What do you think?
posted by ozomatli on Feb 20, 2006 - 39 comments

HotOlympians.com has been shut down by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The domain name hotolympians.com is infringing on federal trademarks. When I registered the domain name, I did some research on olympic trademarks and came to understand... that "olympic" was trademarked and "olympians" was not. I was wrong. And thus we will continue publishing under a new domain name which will be up shortly...

When asked why a local newspaper could publish a feature of an athlete right next to an advertisement, I was told that we weren't a news operation. I was told that hotolympians.com jeapordized American athlete's right to participate in the games.
posted by Tin Man on Feb 17, 2006 - 35 comments

“Poor Lois, See How Old She's Growing! Too bad she’s doesn't try to remain the girl her husband fell in love with. The change is so gradual you never see it but your friends do."

Vintage Beauty Adverts at Duke University's Rare Book and Manuscript Collection.
posted by sourbrew on Jan 30, 2006 - 43 comments