People May Not Know The '100 Most Beautiful Faces Of 2017'

As beauty pageants teach us, there's nothing better than ranking people solely on the luck of their genetics and the quality of their make-up...

TC Candler's Independent Critics List has made a name for itself by selecting the most beautiful female faces for the past 28 years running, with previous winners including Harry Potter's Emma Watson and Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke.

Now the Independent Critics have presented this year's definitive list of its top 100 most beautiful faces of 2017, and you might be surprised by the results.

The top spot for 2017 went to the Filipino-American actress Liza Soberano (nope, us neither), with French model Thylane Blondeau and Taiwanese singer Chou Tzu-yu claiming second and third spot. All three are still teenagers.

The highest name familiar to English-speaking audiences is last year's winner, English model Jourdan Dunn, who came in sixth. The biggest names in the top 20 are 2011 winner Emma Watson and film star Lupita Nyong'o coming in at 14th and 19th respectively.

Other famous figures further down the list include 2012 winner Emilia Clarke in 26th, Margot Robbie in 33rd, and 2008 winner Natalie Portman in 50th.

The critics' corresponding 100 Most Handsome Faces List named South Korean K-pop singer V (real name Kim Tae-Hyung) as having the Most Handsome Face of 2017.

In second place was our favourite man-beast, Jason Momoa (pictured below), while Armie Hammer took third spot. Other notable names in the top ten included Felix Kjellberg, better known as YouTuber PewDiePie, and Idris Elba.

The list prides itself on the diversity of its results, with its About page calling it 'representative of the modern ideal of worldwide beauty'.

The Independent Critics stress that their list doesn't focus on the sexiest body or the most famous celebrity, as it attempts 'to inform & broaden public opinion instead of reflecting it'. Guess it achieves that.

"The Independent Critics have created a celebratory list that cherishes the feminine aesthetic and opens the world's eyes to a unique, diverse and international collection of beautiful faces," the page reads.

Natalie Portman, who has 'mathematically average' features. Credit: PA

We could easily pick at the list, saying, 'Yeah, but beauty is subjective'. However, recent research suggests that there are certain agreements on beauty across human cultures and even in the animal kingdom.

The most powerful signal to a potential partner that Good Genes Are In Here is facial symmetry - basically, having a face that is equal on both sides, the Telegraph has reported. People with even faces are also more nice, extroverted and thoughtful.

Symmetry across the body is also important. Women with symmetrical breasts are more fertile than those with lopsided boobs, and even certain breeds of female birds have been found to prefer males with symmetrical tail feathers for their better genes.

Other factors in determining beauty include brown hair, body shape, smell, having mathematically 'average' features, and the voice/mouth.

Obviously, what people find more beautiful differs between genders - men prefer women with higher pitched voices who smile, while women prefer men with lower voices who don't.

Don't worry, though, it's what's on the inside that's most important. It just won't land you on a list like this.

Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity, list

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from the University of East Anglia with degrees in English Literature and Creative Writing before completing his NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. Chris has previously written for the independent culture magazine The Skinny, among other publications.

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