Gait pattern can alter aesthetic visual impression from a third-person perspective

Area of Science:

• Interdisciplinary approach to beauty and aesthetics.
• Human perception and visual psychology.

Background:

• Societal emphasis on thinness as a beauty ideal.
• Limited understanding of how body motion and posture affect aesthetic perception.
• Potential influence of pelvic posture on female appearance judgments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the influence of body form and walking patterns on aesthetic visual impressions.
• To investigate the impact of pelvic posture on perceived beauty.
• To examine aesthetic judgments from a third-person perspective.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a two-way analysis of variance to assess aesthetic visual impressions.
• Captured motion data for three pelvic postures: upright, normal, and posteriorly tilted.
• Applied motion data to three mannequin body forms: thin, standard, and obese.

Main Results:

• An upright pelvic posture received significantly higher aesthetic visual impression scores compared to a posteriorly tilted posture.
• This effect was consistent across all body forms, irrespective of weight.
• Pelvic posture demonstrated a significant impact on aesthetic judgments (F(2, 119)=79.89, p<0.001, η²=0.54).

Conclusions:

• Perceived beauty can be enhanced through an upright pelvic posture during walking.
• Achieving a positive aesthetic impression is possible independent of body thinness.
• Walking posture is a key factor in third-person aesthetic evaluations of appearance.