The vertical proportion of the midface against the lower face. Scored against the Farkas international anthropometric norms.
Descriptive geometry, not a verdict. Neither short nor long midface is universally preferred in the published cross-cultural research.
Farkas-norm percentile · 17 metrics · Free · No signup
Free score · $14.99 unlocks Farkas percentile + written breakdown
Leslie G. Farkas spent decades building the international craniofacial anthropometric atlas published in its expanded form in 2005. The atlas documents craniofacial norms across more than 25 ethnic populations with sample sizes that allow population-appropriate percentile bands rather than a single universal mean. For midface ratio specifically, the atlas records that across populations, midface and lower-face heights are roughly comparable, with the precise mean shifting by a few percentage points across populations and a few more across the male-female distribution.
The practical takeaway: a midface ratio close to the population mean is the structurally average read, and the cross-cultural preference research (Cunningham et al. 1995; Coetzee, Greeff, Stephen and Perrett 2014) consistently finds preference clusters near population means rather than at the extremes. A face dragged by extreme midface elongation or extreme midface compaction is more anomalous than a face sitting near the population center.
The composite scoring uses the universal cross-population distribution for the free score and the Farkas population-appropriate distribution in the paid 17-metric report; both are reported as descriptive percentile bands rather than as evaluative rankings.
Often reads as youthful and balanced. The compact midface pairs with the volume signal of strong cheekbones to produce a structurally bright first-impression read. Common in faces that photograph well across a wide range of angles.
The lower third drags. A compact midface needs a proportionally compact but defined chin to balance; weak chin elongates the perceived lower face and the ratio reads as unbalanced. Genioplasty or chin filler is the typical hardmax conversation.
Structurally adult, often reads as authoritative. The longer midface adds vertical visual weight that a strong jawline absorbs cleanly; pairs well in editorial and authority-driven photo contexts.
The midface real estate is there but undefined. Sub-orbital ridge (mid-cheek volume) absence makes the long midface read as flat rather than as structured. Midface implants or filler is the cosmetic conversation.
Sits at the population mean for both Farkas and universal distributions. Neither dragging nor lifting the composite; the other 16 metrics carry the structural narrative.
Left and right midface heights differing by more than 4 percent is more clinically relevant than the absolute midface ratio. Captured in the paid report's asymmetry section; refer to an orthodontist if the asymmetry is meaningful.
Hairstyle is the largest single softmax lever. A fringe or fuller front section shortens the apparent face height and lifts the perceived midface proportion; a buzz cut or slicked-back style does the opposite. Two haircuts can shift the photographed midface ratio by 5 percent or more without touching the structural geometry.
Eyebrow shape lifts or flattens the perceived midface upper boundary. A higher arch raises the brow point and visually lengthens the midface segment. Lighting direction is the third lever; overhead lighting elongates by deepening the shadow under the brow ridge, front light flattens by removing the same shadow. The composite reads the structural midface; the photographed midface has 3 to 5 percent of perceptual headroom from these inputs.
Exact ratio. Farkas percentile. Asymmetry check. Softmax styling plan.
The $14.99 Looksmax Report gives the exact midface-to-lower-face ratio, the Farkas population percentile, the left-right asymmetry analysis, and the softmax styling plan to shift the photographed midface presentation.
Free, instant, private. The structural ratio plus the Farkas percentile band in the paid report.
17 metrics · Photos auto-deleted · Re-scan unlimited
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