Yes, an oblong face can be just as attractive as any other face shape, and no study has found long faces are rated less attractive as a group. Research links attractiveness to averageness, skin and individual features, which vary within every face shape. Oblong only got a “needs fixing” reputation because 1930s Hollywood styling treated oval as the ideal. Below is the evidence, how oblong differs from oval and rectangle, and how common it really is.
What is an oblong face shape?
This shape is clearly longer than it is wide. The forehead, cheekbones and jaw are close to the same width, so the sides of the face run fairly straight. The jaw is soft or rounded. If the jaw has sharp corners, most guides call it rectangle instead.
You may also see it called a long face. Our oblong face shape guide explains the measurements, and the face shape detector can check yours from one photo.
| Shape | Length | Widths | Jaw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oval | Moderately longer than wide | Cheekbones slightly widest | Soft, tapers to the chin |
| Oblong | Clearly longer than wide | Forehead, cheekbones and jaw similar | Soft or rounded |
| Rectangle | Clearly longer than wide | Forehead, cheekbones and jaw similar | Angular, with corners |
Not sure if you are oval or oblong? See oval vs oblong face shape.
Is a long face attractive? What research says
Attractiveness studies do not sort people into oblong, oval or square. They measure qualities across the whole face, and long faces are not singled out as less attractive.
- Averageness: faces closer to the typical face of a group were rated more attractive, for both men and women, in a 2025 study (Lee and colleagues, 2025).
- Feminine features: in the same study, more feminine female faces were rated more attractive. A more masculine shape did not predict ratings for men.
- Skin: in a study of male faces, skin colour predicted attractiveness ratings, while masculine face shape did not (Scott and colleagues, 2010).
None of these depends on whether a face is long or short. Plenty of people with long faces are widely seen as attractive, and so are plenty with round or square faces. For the full research picture, read is there a most attractive face shape?
Is an oblong face attractive on men?
Yes. Research does not show a single most attractive male face shape, and many well-known men have long faces. Haircuts with some width at the sides and beards that add fullness along the jaw are common ways to balance length, if you want to.
Is an oblong face attractive on women?
Yes. Studies link women’s attractiveness ratings to averageness and feminine features, which appear in every face shape. Curtain bangs, waves at cheek level and medium lengths are popular choices for oblong faces, but they are options, not fixes.
Why oblong faces get called “unflattering”
The idea comes from styling history, not research. In the 1930s, Hollywood makeup artists Ern and Perc Westmore created the first system for styling by face shape. It grew out of earlier work with Max Factor, which started from the premise that the ideal face shape was oval (Cosmetics and Skin).
In that system, every other shape was described by how far it was from oval, and hair and makeup were used to make it look more oval. Many style guides still use that language, which is why you will read about “correcting” a long face. That is a styling tradition, not a finding about attractiveness.
Is an oblong face rare?
Probably not, but nobody knows for sure. Face shape tool websites publish counts from their users, and their numbers vary widely: 21.7% in one, 14.0% in another, and 1.09% in a third (data accessed 27 October 2026). These are people who chose to use a tool, not random samples, and each tool classifies faces differently.
We compare all three datasets, plus real population studies, in the rarest and most common face shape.
Oblong face vs “long face syndrome”
These are different things. Oblong is a normal face shape category used for styling. “Long face syndrome” is a term from dental and medical research for a growth pattern in some children, often linked to chronic mouth breathing. Having an oblong face does not mean you have it.
If you are curious about that research, it is covered in does your face shape change?
Styling ideas for an oblong face
Styling for a long face usually adds a little width or breaks up length. These are choices, not rules:
- Hair: volume at the sides, bangs or a fringe, and avoiding a lot of extra height on top. See oblong hairstyles for women and oblong hairstyles for men.
- Glasses: frames with some depth, rather than very narrow ones. See glasses for a long face.
- Beard: fuller sides rather than extra length at the chin. See beards for your face shape.
Oblong face shape attractiveness FAQs
Is an oblong face shape attractive?
Yes. No study shows oblong faces are rated less attractive as a group. Research links attractiveness to averageness, feminine features in women and skin condition, which vary within every face shape.
Is an oblong face attractive for a male?
Yes. Many men with long faces are seen as attractive. Research has not found a most attractive male face shape, and measured masculinity did not predict male attractiveness in two studies.
Is an oblong face attractive for a female?
Yes. Women’s attractiveness ratings in research are linked to averageness and feminine features, not to the oblong, oval or round label.
Is an oblong face the same as oval?
No. Both are longer than wide with a soft jaw, but an oblong face is clearly longer, with straighter sides. Oval is only moderately longer than wide and tapers more toward the chin.
Is an oblong face rare?
Probably not. Face shape tool datasets put oblong anywhere from about 1% to 22% of their users, which shows how much these numbers depend on the tool. No reliable population data exists for this category.
Is an oblong face the same as long face syndrome?
No. Oblong is a normal face shape used for styling. Long face syndrome is a research term for a growth pattern in some children, often linked to mouth breathing.
Can I make my oblong face look shorter?
Styling can change how long a face looks. Side volume, bangs, frames with depth and fuller beard sides all break up length. Your bone structure stays the same, and you do not need to change anything.
Sources
- Lee P, Li J, Rafiee Y, Jones BC, Shiramizu VKM. Further evidence that averageness and femininity, rather than symmetry and masculinity, predict facial attractiveness judgments. Scientific Reports, 2025.
- Scott IM and colleagues. Does masculinity matter? The contribution of masculine face shape to male attractiveness in humans. PLOS ONE, 2010.
- Cosmetics and Skin (James Bennett). Face shapes: history of styling by face shape.