A map of EuroHandsome: "What the 'Ideal' Man Looks Like, Country by Country" (Europe only)

[Bucky]

from Big Think
http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/average-or-ideal-mugshots-of-europe

What makes these 29 pairs of eyes even more unsettling is the fact that these are not real people. Each face is a composite, assembled from the mugshots of between 10 to 24 male athletes from each of the 29 European countries represented here. This gallery of facial averages is like a collection of artist's sketches of usual suspects pinned to the bulletin board of a police station.

Who are these imaginary men? What are their faces trying to tell us? As averages of random but comparable samples by country, these faces are uniquely "national." The French face is the Frenchest face possible, and the German face couldn't be any more German, et cetera. Does that mean these faces are merely average? Or are they in some way "ideal"? Or — and this is even more disconcerting — could it perhaps be that to be facially average is ideal?

This map was produced by Dienekes Pontikos, who runs an anthropological blog dedicated to human population genetics, physical anthropology, archaeology, and history. Genetics is fascinating but complex, and general knowledge of the field is superficial and anecdotal — hands up anyone who knows what the acronym DNA stands for (2). Hence this mugshot map of Europe, a clever and simple way to demonstrate the principle of genetic variation.

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apparently the further west you go, the more you're likely to smile, but Turks can smile too

[DFW]

1. Lucky thing for me

Although my wife looks as German as she possibly could (she is), I look nothing at all like the ideal German man in this "study."

Different strokes for different folks. Fortunately for me!

[femmocrat]

2. Do they all look alike to anyone else?

Especially those central European guys.

[sarge43]

4. They do.

Even the Turk with the exception of somewhat darker complexion.

The majority of Europeans are Haplogroup H (mtDNA).

[Bucky]

5. That's Haplophobic!!

[OriginalGeek]

11. Stuff Haplons.

[Sanity Claws]

14. The Belgian looks different

He has a much squarer, more defined jawline. I find him quite handsome.

[smirkymonkey]

16. Yeah, I thought it was just me. But they all look pretty much the same.

I am attracted to men who are kind of unusual looking (so much for that symmetry theory) I like big noses, kind of odd features. However I do like decent skin and teeth. Luckily, we all have different preferences, so I guess that makes the world go round.

[shenmue]

3. Nobody from the Republic of Ireland?

[mackerel]

10. SNAP!!!!!!!!

They never put up the gorgeous guys.

[IrishEyes]

15. Yes, where is the Irish man?

[smirkymonkey]

17. I love Irish men!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. "Ideal Man Sweden" --

is far better looking than most Swedish men. My Dad's family is from Sweden, and man are Swedes some of the homeliest men I have ever seen. :O

[Bucky]

7. Looks like you've been hangin' around the wrong meatball shop

http://www.buzzfeed.com/marietelling/18-swedish-men-who-are-so-breathtaking-you-actually-wont-be#.sg9jXRjXY0

[cwydro]

8. They all look identical to me!

weird.

[progressoid]

9. More like Euro - homogeneous

[PasadenaTrudy]

12. Boring. n/t

[haele]

13. They all look like they're bordering on being jail bait.

About what, 17 years old? Except for that one guy from Luxemburg, he looks about 23.
That's a perfect European male?

Haele