I think we can fairly easily come up with examples of things that are regarded as attractive in some cultures and not others.
For example, tanned skin. Back in the “olden days” in Europe, pale skin was considered the ideal. The much-desired “fair maiden” in old tales is literally one with light-colored skin that is kept out of the sun so it doesn’t tan. Today, in the U.S. at least, skin with a slightly bronze tan is often considered the ideal.
This may or may not have to do with social class. Prior to industrialization, lower class people would be tanned from working outside on farms, while higher class people (nobility, etc.) could stay inside and keep their skin nice and pale. Once poor people switched from working on farms to working in indoor factories, they, too, had pale skin, while the wealthier could afford to waste time sitting in the sun getting a tan. “Find signals of high status attractive” might be a genetically influenced trait (I’d be surprised if it weren’t) but genes don’t seem to determine exactly how people signal high status.
Plenty of behavior has genetic influences, but people learn an awful lot from their environment, too. When a dog is trained to roll over on command, is that a genetic behavior? If it is, then so is everything and it becomes a meaningless category.
I think we can fairly easily come up with examples of things that are regarded as attractive in some cultures and not others.
For example, tanned skin. Back in the “olden days” in Europe, pale skin was considered the ideal. The much-desired “fair maiden” in old tales is literally one with light-colored skin that is kept out of the sun so it doesn’t tan. Today, in the U.S. at least, skin with a slightly bronze tan is often considered the ideal.
This may or may not have to do with social class. Prior to industrialization, lower class people would be tanned from working outside on farms, while higher class people (nobility, etc.) could stay inside and keep their skin nice and pale. Once poor people switched from working on farms to working in indoor factories, they, too, had pale skin, while the wealthier could afford to waste time sitting in the sun getting a tan. “Find signals of high status attractive” might be a genetically influenced trait (I’d be surprised if it weren’t) but genes don’t seem to determine exactly how people signal high status.
Plenty of behavior has genetic influences, but people learn an awful lot from their environment, too. When a dog is trained to roll over on command, is that a genetic behavior? If it is, then so is everything and it becomes a meaningless category.