PLATE 01 + 02 / HUMAN FACE

Anatomy of proportion

Select a region to explore its structure and evidence.

AnteriorFront

A / FIXED REFERENCE

LateralProfile

B / FIXED REFERENCE

No feature selected
Selection is linked across both views.

Illustrative anatomy · approximate outlines.
Not a measured “ideal” face.

FORMA FEATURE / WHOLE FACE

Facial proportions: measurements, ratios, and research

The framework connecting the forehead, midface, lower face, and the spacing of the eyes. Ratios only make sense when their landmarks are specified.

How facial proportions is measured

Height thirds: trichion (central hairline) → glabella (between brows) → subnasale (nose–lip junction) → menton (lowest chin point). Width fifths divide the face into approximate eye-width segments.

Ratios, ranges & competing claims

1 : 1 : 1 — The classical thirds

Equal upper, middle, and lower facial heights are a traditional planning convention. The lower third is often divided into one part above the closed lip line and two parts below it.

Clinical guide: A clinical convention, not a population-wide attractiveness optimum. Hairline position changes with age and hairstyle. Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

30.8 / 32.9 / 36.3% — A longer lower third in a male celebrity sample

These were the mean upper, middle, and lower thirds in 21 selected male celebrities.

Observation: Selected Caucasian celebrity photographs; descriptive averages, not experimentally optimized targets. Using Artificial Intelligence to Quantify Sexual Dimorphism in Aesthetic Faces

32 measures differed — A test of “ideal” templates

In a Hong Kong Chinese 3D-face study, 32 male measurements differed significantly from published ideal values among the attractive faces.

Study: Population-specific, with a limited set of faces. It challenges universal templates without establishing a new universal one. Does 3-dimensional facial attractiveness relate to golden ratio, neoclassical canons, “ideal” ratios and “ideal” angles?

Practical takeaway

Start with comparable thirds, then read the lower face.

Use the classical thirds as an initial layout check. Assess whether the lower face fits the forehead and midface before trying to make every segment equal.

What changes the answer

Hairline height changes the upper third; upper-lip length and chin height divide the lower third. A tall hairline can change this ratio without changing the underlying face.

Connected facial features

Explore the interactive atlas and compare this feature with both fixed reference views.