From symmetry to smell to the dance floor groove, how evolution carves our ideas of sexy
BY NICK ATKINSON
Dorothy Hopcroft got it right. Agreeing to a date at the urging of a meddling friend, she didn't quite know what to make of Frederick Turton. He arrived on a bicycle (her former beau had a car) made at the factory where he worked a tough week with little prospect of promotion, and his financial status was such that Heinz Baked Beans were something of an extravagance. But somehow that didn't matter.
His face, his body, his voice, even his smell, might have made the difference. That's before the other, less outwardly noticeable factors came into play: his sense of humor, his generosity, his chivalry. All of these were possibly part of that complex equation. And despite some social status warning signs, Dorothy fell in love. "We found that the way ...
