Of course the woman described above probably doesn't, and never has,  actually exist.  Even supermodels have defects and the media representations of perfect women are illusions generated at great expense by make-up artists, lighting, photographers, computers, etc.

According to the Academy, Catherine Zeta-Jones is the "ideal face of femininity".  Nicole Kidman came in close second with 22 percent of the votes, while Jennifer Aniston, Penelope Cruz and Gwyneth Paltrow tied for third place with 11% of the votes.

Some transsexuals such as  former model Caroline Finch and beauty queen Mimi Marks have faces that comply with Dr Baker's standards.

In an effort to help better understand the dynamics of perceived beauty, the AAFPRS surveyed its membership - facial plastic surgeons, true face specialists - to rate the facial features of several celebrities. "While beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, there is a real mathematical equation for measuring a person's attractiveness.  In fact, the skeletal proportions are the true determining factors," says AAFPRS President Dr. Shan Baker. "Not only should the face have high check bones and a clean complexion, but a well proportioned face will be divided into equal thirds when horizontal lines are drawn through the forehead hairline, the brow, the base of the nose and the edge of the chin.  And when analysing the face vertically, the length of the nose should occupy one-third of the total vertical height of the face."

So, why was Catherine Zeta-Jones chosen as the ideal face of femininity by 27% of the facial plastic surgeons?  "The face of Catherine Zeta-Jones displays many features of the ideal face of femininity," says Baker. "She has a short delicate jaw with small chin and nose, all of which are desirable for an attractive female face. Her lavish lips, well-developed cheek bones and prominent eyes give her the face of the new decade."

Nicole Kidman was tied for second with Gwyneth Paltrow (with 18 percent of votes each) for having the ideal female nose.  Once again Catherine Zeta-Jones came away as the winner for the females.  According to Dr. Baker, her "small, straight and symmetrical" nose gave her 22% of the surgeons' votes.  However, it was Nicole Kidman's lips that are most kissable, she came out on top for having the ideal mouth with 33% of the vote. Angelina Jolie's bee-stung, pouty lips followed very close behind.  

And as for Academy Award winner Julia Roberts ... her eyes have it!  Twenty-three percent of the AAFPRS surgeons believe that Julia Roberts has the ideal set of eyes. "Large eyes with ample space between upper eyelashes and brow are attractive features," says Baker. "This combined with expressive animation and framed with strong arched brows gives Julia Roberts the perfect set of female eyes."

Dr Richard Fleming's Data Many years before the AAFPRS poll was conducted, Hollywood based plastic surgeon Dr Richard Fleming had already noticed that most people wanting a nose job or cheek implants had a famous star in mind.  He started collating data to find who has the most coveted features.  His 2002 list of the most commonly asked for stars' facial features is as follows: Hair: Jennifer Aniston, Debra Messing, Julia Roberts Eyes: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Heather Graham, Penelope Cruz Cheeks: Kim Cattrall, Halle Berry, Sela Ward Nose: Nicole Kidman, Heather Locklear, Marisa Tomei Lips: Elizabeth Hurley, Denise Richards, Hillary Swank Chin: Cate Blanchett, Salma Hayek, Ada Pinkett-Smith The "perfect" face to the left is built up using the characteristics of several of these stars.

Relative Importance of Physical Characteristics

[Note: This section gives the results of QueenDom's on-line survey on physical attraction, this compiled the opinions of more than 10,000 visitors to arrive at a rough image of the Venus and Adonis of the 21st century.]

Here is how Men and Women rated individual features in the opposite sex.  The numbers represent the mean score of men, women, and the two combined.  

The voting was on a scale of 1 to 5:  1 is a turn-off and 5 is very attractive.

Preference for hair length varies between men and women is probably due to cultural influences.  Women don't like shoulder length hair on a man, but men don't mind medium or short hair on a women, in fact very few men find short'ish hair to be unattractive.  Women, in general, don't like baldness.

Men are more enthusiastic about blond hair than women are (70% of men find this above average on the attractive scale, compared to 47% of women).  So maybe blond women do have more fun!

Women are much less tolerant than men of red hair.  57% of women didn't like red hair, compared to only 25% of men who found this to be unappealing.

Everybody likes clear skin, since it is an indication of health.  In general, more men and women seem to find dark or olive skin more attractive than pale skin.  Perhaps pale skin suggests unhealthiness to many, while darker skin is a sign of health and robustness.  But the cultural idea that tanned skin is healthy is slowly changing as the incidence of skin cancer rises from sun bathing and sun beds. 

Freckly skin is viewed with reserve.  Women are more likely than men to find freckly faces less attractive.

People feel quite strongly about white, straight teeth.  The main concern is definitely hygiene.  Yellow, stained or rotten teath and the bad breath that might accompany them is for most people a rather unappetizing image. 

In contradiction to other studies, the poll shows that most men claim to prefer a thin woman - although the hip-to-waist ratio isn't shown.