Zhao, living in LA must be really, really difficult for anyone, but especially for someone who doesn't fit into the Anglo-Saxon white standard of beauty. I don't think I could do it. Of course, I realize there are lots of cool, not entirely shallow people there--I have tons of friends from there who moved back. But still, it's ground zero for the whole Barbie & Ken doll ideal.
Culture factors into standards of beauty but it isn't the sole factor in
sexual attraction. If it were, then almost no one but people with highly symmetrical faces or model looks would have sexual partners or successful relationships. There's nothing more ridiculous than the idea that, because visual media rely on superficially pretty people, that all people are attracted to the same thing. That statement just fails on so many provable scientific levels. (Although studies have shown that there's more consensus among men--straight and gay--as to whom they find attractive than there is among women, straight or lesbian.)
not sure if i understand the connection between symmetry and the zygote being strong?
Because zygotes split in half and each half is supposed to be a perfect "mirror image" copy--these end up being your right and left sides. Healthier zygotes are less likely to end up asymmetrical, because they will copy perfectly without mutating. Although, of course, some mutations end up being beneficial...