So Cute: Why Do We Have Dimples?

“Oh, I love your dimples!” is a common phrase used by every dimple lover, but what they don’t know is that those tiny cute holes in the face are a genetic abnormality.

We all find dimples attractive and, in some cultures, it’s a sign of good luck. Numerous literature has associated dimples with heroism or, in the case of women characters, with their sex appeal. Such is the case of Scarlett O’Hara, the main character of the novel Gone with the wind while flirting with Rhett Butler: “She knew how to smile so that her dimples leaped…”

Dimples can also be associated with better communication since they make the smile more noticeable thus revealing more information about a person’s expression.

The entertainment world is not an exception, one of the features contemplated to choose People’s Sexiest Man Alive is whether the contestant has dimples or not, taking the example of Brad Pitt (1995 winner) or Bradley Cooper (2011 winner).

But, even if it’s hard to accept, dimples are a birth defect. They are an abnormality of the muscle in the cheek or in medical terms a bifid zygomaticus major muscle. This muscle is in charge of facial expression, being the one that raises the corners of your mouth when you smile.

What happens in people with dimples is that this muscle splits into two bundles, therefore forming the cheek holes when the person smiles. What a cool name for dimples, huh? Imagine saying this to the person you like: “You have such a lovely bifid zygomaticus major muscle.”

Actually, there is another word for dimples: gelasin. If you look up the word in the dictionary here is what you’ll find: “gelasin is a synonym for dimple. It is caused by a minor developmental deformity.” Its origin comes from Greece “gelaein”, which means “to laugh” and it was first documented back in 1608.

However, by the 19th-century dimples or gelasin weren’t as popular as they are today, they didn’t represent beauty or sexiness. As a matter of fact, when a painter made a portrait he hid or modified those details or flaws to preserve the beauty essence of the painting, modifications of this nature were even requested by the public.

Nonetheless, things have changed. We now live in a world where dimples are considered cute and sexy, such it’s the matter that you can have your own dimples if you want to, as doctors are even performing ‘dimpleplasties’.

So, now you know… Whether you want to impress your crush or tease a very close friend, or maybe it is you that have them, dimples are a deformity of the skin in a very cute way.

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