ABSTRACT
Beauty has been recognized but is difficult to define across cultures and time. People today seek to appear rested, relaxed, harmonious and at peace. Studies of African tribal masks which portray exaggerations of human facial expression show that vertical lines in the face such as those between the brows in the glabella, at the melolabial folds and melomental folds all convey negative emotions such as anger, depression, fatigue, bitterness, disappointment and envy. Horizontal lines across the brow and radiating from the corners of the eye may be masculinizing features. Vertical lip lines are seen as the hallmark of the aged female lower face. Horizontal neck lines, commonly seen in younger individuals, are suggestive of obesity and may detract from an important aesthetic determinant, the long, slender neck.
