Plastic Surgeons Reveal Most Popular Celebrity Faces Through the Decades

Created on 08th September 2009

A survey from the American Academy of Facial and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) has shown how people's perception of beauty has changed over the years.

The research was carried out to help better understand the dynamics of perceived beauty by patients wanting plastic surgery to look better. The Academy asked it's members - facial plastic surgeons - to rate the faces and features of celebrities over the last four decades. It also asked its members to identify the greatest advancements in facial plastic surgery.

Dr. Steven Pearlman, president of the AAFPRS, said: "Over the past forty years, the advancements in new technologies, safety and patient results in facial plastic surgery have evolved just as beauty has, and while beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, this survey shows how facial attractiveness transcends through time."

The results of the survey were as follows:

The 1960s

Actors Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor represented the height of beauty during the '60s, getting 42 percent and 38 percent of the votes, respectively. Audrey Hepburn came second in the female category while Cary Grant was runner up for the men.

Plastic surgeon's agree that bone structure and proportion are determining factors when looking at attractiveness. These old film stars all have this in common.

The 1970s

Defined facial features ruled the day in the 1970s with Farrah Fawcett and Robert Redford topping the list for this decade with 70 percent each of the votes. Delicate noses were popular in the 1970s with lots of people wanting nose jobs to look like their idols.

The 1980s

Big hair, long legs and strong looks represented the beauty of the 80s. Model Christie Brinkley got 40 percent of the votes for females and Mel Gibson topped the men. 

The 1990s

The era of the supermodel heralded a change in the ideas of beauty. Cindy Crawford (40 percent) and George Clooney (29 percent) came top for this decade. It was during this period that plastic surgery started to become increasingly popular and accessible.

The Present

Catherine Zeta-Jones (31 percent) and Hugh Jackman (26 percent) are the celebrities considered the best looking by people in the current day. Dr Pearlman said, "Zeta-Jones has a short delicate jaw with small chin and nose, all of which are desirable for an attractive female face."

Despite the survey, surgeons are keen to point out that patients wanting cosmetic surgery should not aim to look exactly like their idols - but instead have plastic surgery in order to improve and enhance their own features.