Margo DeMello - Faces Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the Human Face

A CULTURAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE HUMAN FACE

Margo DeMello

Copyright 2012 by ABC-CLIO, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

DeMello, Margo.

Faces around the world : a cultural encyclopedia of the human face / Margo DeMello.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-59884-617-1 (hardback) ISBN 978-1-59884-618-8 (ebook)

1. FaceEncyclopedias. I. Title.

QM535.D46 2012

612.9203dc23 2011036438

ISBN: 978-1-59884-617-1
EISBN: 978-1-59884-618-8

16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5

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Manufactured in the United States of America

Faces around the World is the first comprehensive reference book that deals with all aspects of the human (and non-human) face. Because the face is the most important feature that we have, and serves as a form of communication, identification, and expression of emotions and character, understanding the face helps us to understand what it is to be human.

This encyclopedia is the first of its kind to take a comprehensive look at the face throughout history and around the world. It addresses the evolution of the face, the role that facial features play, how emotions are expressed on the face, what people read into the face, and the major cultural beliefs and practices associated with the face, by both topic and geographic region.

This volume is aimed at general readers with an interest in sociology and anthropology, because of its coverage of the social and cultural aspects of the face, as well as those with an interest in psychology and evolution. Entries include a list of related topics to explore and a list of further reading on the subject for readers who desire more information, and there is as well a comprehensive bibliography.

There are 132 entries in this Encyclopedia, which cover the biological aspects, social roles, disorders, folklore, beliefs, and cultural practices associated with the face, including makeup, tattooing, scarification, piercing, and cosmetic surgery.

Entries are listed in alphabetical order, and when a subject has multiple names for it, the most commonly used name (i.e., Mardi Gras) will be the name used for the entry, and other names (i.e., Carnival) will include a note directing the reader to the full entry. Additionally, each entry contains cross-referenced items in bold type, as well as a list of related subjects at the end of each entry. Each entry explains the term, gives an overview, and provides any historical or cross-cultural significance.

This is the third book that I have published with Greenwood/ABC-CLIO, and I want to thank the people there for their confidence in me, including my editor, Kaitlin Ciarmiello.

I also want to thank the people in my life who have supported me during my writing projects. Criss Starr, Bill Velasquez, and Jeff Hayes have all provided different types of support and friendship during this time, and I thank them for that. Finally, I wish to acknowledge my husband, Tom Young, who patiently endures higher amounts of stress and a much filthier house as I approach deadline, and my parents, Bill DeMello and Robin Montgomery, who have always given me love and support throughout all of my projects.

The face is the single most important feature that we as humans use to both comprehend the world around us and to present ourselves to that world. The eyes that we use to see, the nose that we use to smell, the ears that we use to hear, and the mouth that we use to both talk and feed ourselves evolved over millions of years to allow our primitive ancestors to better negotiate the world around them; in fact, four of our five senses are located on our face. Those same features combine to form the most important identifying feature that we now have. Of the over 6 billion people on the planet today, not a single human face is identical to another. Our faces are the visual thumbprints that we present to the world.

But faces are so much more than that. They are the keys to our personal identity and sense of self; they allow us to understand and recognize others, and to represent ourselves. Humans are programmed to perceive and recognize other faces, and within minutes of birth, infants begin to seek out the faces of those around them. We see faces everywhere we lookon clouds, on the moon, and even on cars. We put faces on childrens toyseven inanimate objects like trains or telephones have faces on them, and children draw faces before they draw anything else.

Many nonhuman animals also recognize faces just like we do, and recognize that the face is the way in which to best connect with each other, and with us. That is why our domesticated dogs and cats not only gaze into our eyes when they want attention, but sometimes paw at our faces as well. Social animals in particular, like dogs, rabbits, or elephants, need to recognize the faces of those animals with whom they are friendly; just as it is for us, it is a critical social skill for them, and just as in humans, the face in many mammal species is the most distinguishable part of the animal. But most animals, as far as we know, do not recognize their own faces, when seen in a mirror. Great apes can do this, however, and this ability is seen by scientists to indicate that they have, just as we have, a sense of self.

We notice a persons face before we notice anything else about them, barring perhaps the color of their skin. And we do not just notice faces. If the face belongs to a person we know, we draw upon countless images and memories in our brains and quickly are able to recognize who that person is and what they mean to us, all based on their face. If we do not know them, by looking at their face, we think we do. We believe that based on the shape of the face, and the characteristics of the facial features and the relationship between them, that we can tell something about the inner character of the person that we see. Are they a good person, a crafty person, a mean person, or a selfish person? Are they nave, generous, loving, or greedy? All of that can be told, many of us think, from our face. Cartoon caricatures, in fact, began as a way to emphasize not just aspects of a persons facial features, but these cartoons were (and are) also used to emphasize aspects of their inner character, which were thought to be represented through the eyes, nose, or mouth. The eyes, in particular, are thought by many to be the windows to the soul, and can grant immediate access to the true nature of the person into whose eyes we stare. The science of physiognomy and the related art of face reading are both predicated on the notion that you really