The ways we dress and makeup we mask determine who we are as people and where we stand in society, both in the past and present. Sexual selection has consistently played a major role in evolution; if we didn’t all participate in the selection of mates, we would be incapable of reproduction. However, what we will focus on in the following post are the ways in which we use art to seduce or attract our mates in order to continue reproduction. For instance, the rising industry of fashion and the development of makeup not only define individual statuses to our mates but also create a sense of competition to attract. Females in particular are in constant competition for the best outfit, body, and style. Although other factors come into play as well such as personality, intelligence, and background, sexual selection has and always will begin with attraction. Before sharing conversation, we all view others first—taking in their hair and eye color, smile, wardrobe, body art, body figure, and more. In defining sexual selection, we are able to parallel examples of art that can be used to improve processes like sexual competition or mate choice.
Sexual selection is a process by which sexual choice or competition for mates’ leads to certain traits increasing in a population. The individuals that possess these traits are more likely to win sexual competitions or be preferred by members of the opposite sex. Therefore, sexual selection can often be implicated in the evolution of extravagant traits that seem as though they should reduce the fitness of the individual that flaunts them rather than provide them with greater chances at attracting. An example of such a trait would be the peacock’s tail, which unfortunately makes both the peacock more visible to predators and less agile to escape them; however, peahens prefer this trait, driving the tail’s evolution. Sexual selection comes in two forms: sexual selection by competition for mates and sexual selection by choice (particularly female choice).
Sexual selection by competition occurs in species where individuals of a particular sex compete among themselves for access to another. Typically, this process entails males competing for female attention, as they want to make themselves capable of attracting the fittest females in order to produce fit offspring. For example, males place emphasis on body type—they go to the gym routinely to develop the strongest and most noticeable body they can reach. That being said, not all males and females take this approach and find other ways to compete. Other approaches can fall into fashion, body art such as tattoos and piercings, makeup, or even musical expression. While tattoos and piercings may not attract everyone, they indeed attract a certain type and the individuals that carry such traits do so to differentiate themselves from others, becoming more noticeable and sometimes desirable. Sexual selection by mate choice occurs where the members of one sex choose mates from among the members of the opposite sex. Females usually choose which males to mate with as they bear the greater part of the burden in reproduction. Therefore, they will want to focus on choosing the men that are most attractive, successful, and reliable. In this case, some females may stray away from the tattoos and piercing types, yet body figure and fashion to infer status or success may act as more advantageous traits.
Sexual selection is evident in any sexually reproducing society through competition to attract the most desirable partner. Ways in which sexual competition emerges differs among the sex of the species. Darwin defines two separate distinction of selection as female choice and male competition. Rivalry, most common among males, is shown through the production of weapons, sharper teeth, larger horns, and strong muscles. This form of intrasexual selection leads to male-male competition resulting in battles for territory and access to females. This leads to elaborate adornments utilized by males to increase sexual desirability such as large horns and other forms of physical attraction. “The more men have to offer, the more valuable they become to women as reproductive resource” (Geary). The aggressive natures in which males use to enhance sexual attraction differ from that of a female. Female competition is shown through dress and through ways to enhance physical characteristics in order to attract males. The clear distinction between male and female expression is highlighted through the ways in which sexual selection is defined.
Adopting artistic practices rose seemingly out of necessity — those early humans who participated in their tribes’ culture of body adornment were those who were selected for reproduction. Geoffrey Miller writes in his article “Aesthetic Fitness,” that an individual’s ability to produce art signaled to a potential mate that that particular individual had the “time, energy, effort, and skill” and functioned as “indicators of fitness — good health, good brains, and good genes.” Art, especially bodily adornment, is typically a hallmark of self-expression; by outwardly portraying one’s identity, one is making themselves more sexually appealing (and thereby “selectable”). Culture emerged as humans were able to store information outside of the body, and the first uses of body adornment — from simplistic shell-bead bracelets to the use of red ochre for body paint — indicate a selective pressure was placed upon humans up to 50,000 years ago.
It is important to note that while some art is utilized for purely decorative purposes, some of the more functional forms of artistic expression (like clothing, for example) can be considered a method of adaptation. Clothing allows for humans to adjust to the ever-changing climate without having to develop further physical characteristics to cope with a sudden shift in climate. Humans are considered the most adaptable animals on Earth — this is due in part to the use of art as a survival technique.
