The Illusion of Sex

Mon, 10/12/2009 - 13:55
Submitted by Carlin Ross

In the Illusion of Sex, two faces are perceived as male and female. However, both faces are actually versions of the same androgynous face.

One face was created by increasing the contrast of the androgynous face, while the other face was created by decreasing the contrast. The face with more contrast is perceived as female, while the face with less contrast is perceived as male. The Illusion of Sex demonstrates that contrast is an important cue for perceiving the sex of a face, with greater contrast appearing feminine, and lesser contrast appearing masculine.

I think this says a great deal about our perception of gender - it's more fluid then we'd like to think.  1 out of every 2,000 babies is born intersex (ie ambiguous genitals).  I out of every 2,000 babies is born a red head.  If you've seen or met a red head, you've seen or met someone who's intersex.  Something to think about. 

Russell, R. (2009) A sex difference in facial pigmentation and its exaggeration by cosmetics. Perception, (38)1211-1219. Third place winner of the 6th Annual Illusion of the Year Contest.

Sex, Politics & More Sex

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