Letter: Barefaced beauty must figure as well

Sir: In his account of the researches of Professor Devendra Singh ('What a man can't resist: the perfect waist-hip ratio', 4 October), Jerome Burne quotes the professor as rejecting the idea that there is 'no single ideal woman'. Evidence from the history of the West since the Renaissance suggests that Professor Singh is right in maintaining that a certain body shape is an essential ingredient in female beauty. But we should not forget the face. There are many facial types. Beauty is perfection in each type.

Yours faithfully,

ARTHUR MARWICK

Rome

(Photographs omitted)