Many are so easily seduced by surface appearances, sometimes guilty of conflating physical attractiveness with goodness, virtues, positive character including high intelligence although this might actually be inaccurate. We are drawn to a symmetrically pleasing face or a healthy and beautiful body. As an artist, I was constantly exposed to nude beautiful models in the life drawing studio, beautifully designed objects, refined surfaces and the aesthetically appealing in general.
Notice that even musicians who become successful are usually also eye-candy. In fact, nearly all persons in the public eye are very attractive in some way and if they did not so much, their charisma and intelligence make up for what they lack in looks. It is more to do with presentation as well (at least in my case and have to work very hard at looking presentable in public). There are people out there who has presence even if they have assymetrical features. After all, most people in the developed world have good diet and have clear skin so it is easy to be pretty when young. It is when a person ages that true beauty becomes more interesting.
I think also that this sensitivity to anything that can be called beautiful also makes people like me think that ugliness or the monstrous has a compelling power and fascination too.
I disagree that we don't take beautiful (euphemism for the young, white, rich usually blond blue-eyed) people seriously. The opposite is true in my experience. People listen if you look good and you have something to say and say it well. It is also sad that people ignore (sometimes I imagine other folks must despise me because I am not good to look at) uglies like me who doesn't have any of the above characteristics but I would never despise beautiful people, I am more likely to defer to these people and think they are wonderful until they prove me wrong, just like everyone else. I guess the media has a role to play in presenting ugly people as villains and attractive leads as heroes.
In my culture, fair hair, skin and long nose is generally considered beautiful because these people aren't peasants with dark skin and squat, flat, nose, who also labour under and baked by the sun. It is also contentious to me that we look down on farmers and peasants who actually feed us while we value useless diamonds and waste water to wash cars while so many thirst for lack of clean, running water. How skewed our priorities has become! It boggles my imagination. It is so ironic that fair skinned people besmirched their lovely, pale, milky complexions with nasty muddy goo or worse lie down in the sun and get skin cancer. This is a mystery to me because I despise my own dark skin after only one day in the sun. If I stay out of the sun, I have a cafe au lait complexion. Yey! (I guess you can tell that I have a vanity and chip of my shoulder the size of a mountain.) This unplesantness is directed to myself only and hurting no one but myself. You won't see me at the beach but if I had to, I always have my parasol to protect me from that nasty, baleful, hot orb.
I remembered when I first emigrated to the west and for the first time saw some beautiful people (my culture's idea of beautiful) who are homeless or common labourers. I was amazed! I couldn't understand it. These people have so much natural assets that surely they can get work anytime if they wanted to? If I had those great assets to start with, who knows what I could have done today for people who need my help? I could have done more to make a difference. That's why it such a waste and saddens me to see gifted people wasting away their natural gifts.
Anyway, no need to point out the obvious to me that there are more to what employers want than physical appearance such as intelligence, abilities and personality. Still, I haven't done too badly with the less on my cards when i was born. It's what you make of what you have that matters.
Anyway, I am not being racists or prejudiced you know there is legitimate research behind my strange opinion about beautiful people, (See 'blue eye-brown eye' study, I forgot by whom.) but its not enough reason to despise beautiful people who went a long way with just the gifts they were given to start with. If i had it, I would have used it. Wouldn't you?
Notice that even musicians who become successful are usually also eye-candy. In fact, nearly all persons in the public eye are very attractive in some way and if they did not so much, their charisma and intelligence make up for what they lack in looks. It is more to do with presentation as well (at least in my case and have to work very hard at looking presentable in public). There are people out there who has presence even if they have assymetrical features. After all, most people in the developed world have good diet and have clear skin so it is easy to be pretty when young. It is when a person ages that true beauty becomes more interesting.
I think also that this sensitivity to anything that can be called beautiful also makes people like me think that ugliness or the monstrous has a compelling power and fascination too.
I disagree that we don't take beautiful (euphemism for the young, white, rich usually blond blue-eyed) people seriously. The opposite is true in my experience. People listen if you look good and you have something to say and say it well. It is also sad that people ignore (sometimes I imagine other folks must despise me because I am not good to look at) uglies like me who doesn't have any of the above characteristics but I would never despise beautiful people, I am more likely to defer to these people and think they are wonderful until they prove me wrong, just like everyone else. I guess the media has a role to play in presenting ugly people as villains and attractive leads as heroes.
In my culture, fair hair, skin and long nose is generally considered beautiful because these people aren't peasants with dark skin and squat, flat, nose, who also labour under and baked by the sun. It is also contentious to me that we look down on farmers and peasants who actually feed us while we value useless diamonds and waste water to wash cars while so many thirst for lack of clean, running water. How skewed our priorities has become! It boggles my imagination. It is so ironic that fair skinned people besmirched their lovely, pale, milky complexions with nasty muddy goo or worse lie down in the sun and get skin cancer. This is a mystery to me because I despise my own dark skin after only one day in the sun. If I stay out of the sun, I have a cafe au lait complexion. Yey! (I guess you can tell that I have a vanity and chip of my shoulder the size of a mountain.) This unplesantness is directed to myself only and hurting no one but myself. You won't see me at the beach but if I had to, I always have my parasol to protect me from that nasty, baleful, hot orb.
I remembered when I first emigrated to the west and for the first time saw some beautiful people (my culture's idea of beautiful) who are homeless or common labourers. I was amazed! I couldn't understand it. These people have so much natural assets that surely they can get work anytime if they wanted to? If I had those great assets to start with, who knows what I could have done today for people who need my help? I could have done more to make a difference. That's why it such a waste and saddens me to see gifted people wasting away their natural gifts.
Anyway, no need to point out the obvious to me that there are more to what employers want than physical appearance such as intelligence, abilities and personality. Still, I haven't done too badly with the less on my cards when i was born. It's what you make of what you have that matters.
Anyway, I am not being racists or prejudiced you know there is legitimate research behind my strange opinion about beautiful people, (See 'blue eye-brown eye' study, I forgot by whom.) but its not enough reason to despise beautiful people who went a long way with just the gifts they were given to start with. If i had it, I would have used it. Wouldn't you?
No comments:
Post a Comment