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Looksmaxing vocabulary - the niche terms used in the vault
Looksmaxing vocabulary covers the niche terms used to describe facial structure — FWHR, hunter and prey eyes, forward growth, canthal tilt, and projection — each defined in the glossary.
- Midface - middle third of face; forward development drives attractiveness.
- Maxilla / maxillary - the upper jaw bone; its forward/up position shapes the midface and nose base.
- Mandible - the lower jaw bone.
- Nasion - where nose bridge meets forehead; a key measurement reference.
- Gonial angle - back corner of lower jaw; sharper = squarer jaw.
- Cranial base - skull floor that influences facial length and projection patterns.
- Forward growth - horizontal facial development drives attractiveness.
- Dolichocephalic - long narrow skull/face.
- Brachycephalic - short wide skull/face.
- Craniofacial growth pattern - overall facial bones development direction.
- CCW rotation - counter clockwise rotation = front part of the structure moves up, back part of the structure moves down. For example CCW rotation of the maxilla basically means upward rotation of the maxilla.
- CW rotation - the oppsite to CCW rotation pattern, so the front part moves down, back part moves up. For example CW maxilla rotation means longer midface.
Ratios & measurements
- FWHR - face width ÷ height; higher = more masculine.
- Midface ratio - shorter/tighter midface reads better.
- ESR - eye spacing vs width; balance avoids buggy or crowded look.
- Cervicomental angle - neck-meets-jaw angle; sharp = defined.
- Facial fifths - 5 equal vertical face sections for balance check.
- Palatal plane angle - tilt of mouth roof; affects nose-tip rotation.
- EME angle - eye-mouth-eye angle; the angle formed between the eye to the center of the mouth to the other eye, used to assess midface visual parameters.
Descriptive terms
- Facial leanness - low facial fat shows bone sharply.
- Facial angularity - sharp vs soft face transitions.
General
- Good vs bad comparison - side-by-side posts show well vs poorly developed traits so you can see the difference.
Still confused?
- If a term in a post is missing here and confuses you, flag it in support and the meaning will be added.