Is 'Finger Trap' The New Thigh Gap? Test Based On Face Shape Uses Index Finger To Assess Beauty
Women and men alike have their fair share of self-doubting moments when it comes to physical appearance. Some may even take it to an extreme, standing in front of the mirror and wondering, “Am I beautiful or ugly?” A new Chinese social media craze, the “Finger Trap,” can apparently prove whether we’re hot or not.
All you do is place your index finger against your chin and nose to see if your lips touch it. If your lips do touch your finger, “then you’re not exactly the brightest star in the sky,” says Vocativ.com, which first spotted the trend. If there is a gap between your lips and your finger, then you're considered beautiful.
The Chinese beauty test has taken over China’s version of Facebook, Weibo. It's now trending in over 200,000 discussions on the site, mostly among women. The test, however, is meant to be taken with a grain of salt, since it is purely subjective and has absolutely no scientific basis. In fact, Vocativ notes, “Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, Christina Hendricks would all be considered victims of the ugly stick” if they used this method to gauge their level of attractiveness.
The Finger Trap trend began with a Japanese meme that was replicated in a selfie by the famous Chinese actress Xinyi Zhang, who made a big deal that she “didn’t pass the test.” In response, Zhang’s fans began to respond with their own Finger Trap selfies.
Western Media Says the Opposite
Yahoo! Lifestyle reported: “If you're 'beautiful', your lips will touch your finger. If they don't, that's because you're 'ugly.'" This is loosely based on the 3.1 ratio theory, which is used by cosmetic surgeons to create the “perfect profile.” The nose, lips, and chin all align perfectly down the face in this case. A story by E! Online also said you're beautiful if your lips touch your finger.
The “pleasing facial profile,” is similar to Rickett’s E-line, a concept dating back to the 1950s from the work of orthodontist Dr. Robert Ricketts. Ricketts believed in order for the average Caucasian face to have an attractive profile, “the lower lip would be 2mm behind the line, and the upper lip 4mm behind the line, with variations being normal for patients of different ethnic backgrounds, but with some commonalities applying to all patients,” according to Daily Digest. This is simply a line drawn from the tip of the nose to the tip of the chin to create perfect facial symmetry.
The Finger Trap test is simple: It’s about symmetry and proportions. Whether your lips touch or don’t touch your finger, remember this social media trend is meant to be done in jest. So go on and see whether you’re beautiful or ugly, but remember this is a very superficial view of beauty.