Modern media is filled with heartwarming stories about the ugly duckling at school blooming into super-model material in college, or the high school uggo learning that she's beautiful in her own way. The fat kid in class is reassured by mommy that "It's OK, you're beautiful too. They just can't see it." This kind of thinking would just be fantastic, if only it were true. It's not, though. No one's allowed to say so, but it really isn't. We can't all be beautiful.
By the way, I'm not ignoring the "eye of the beholder" clause in the beauty definition. Right now, I'm just talking about mass opinion. After all, this "general impression" is what we mostly see addressed in media and fed to kids. What mother tells an aching child "I'm sure someone thinks you're pretty"? There may or may not be an objective standard, but some people are certainly blessed with more physically appealing traits than others, and to deny this is only to deceive ourselves. Needless to say, the extremes are much more clearly defined than the jumble in the middle.
Now, you may wonder what on earth is wrong with telling a child she's beautiful (I use "she" because unfortunately, this is somewhat, though not entirely, one-sided). The problem is this: That child grows up to believe he or she is the hottest thing on the block, squeezes out a devil or two, and twenty-five years later is faced with a child who is having image issues. A generic affirmation is issued and reinforced, and the loop repeats. The trouble is that there are children who don't buy it. There will always be children who either recognise or imagine that mommy's full of crap, and life can be hell from there.
The root as I see it is that we have entirely the wrong idea of body image. We like to think that we're beautiful the way we are, rather than understanding that even if we're not, that doesn't matter. In other words, instead of trying to convince ourselves false universal beauty, we should be correcting the misconception that to be average, or even ugly, is by it's nature bad.
But no, we keep reinforcing the imaginary importance of beauty. This rings especially true in Disney movies, where the heroes and princesses are the picture of physical perfection, while the villains are the ugliest bastards a child is exposed to. How do we comfort the child who says "I look more like Ursula than Ariel"?
Probably with the same, lame, "in your own way" excuses we spout in every other scenario.
And once again, no one is allowed to say it. The pretty people would just be speaking ignorantly from a comfy throne, and the ugly people would just be speaking out of spite. I find this somewhat ironic, since it's another instance where someone's appearance is weighed against their worth. Here on the internet, though, you can't see me, though it's probably safe to assume I'm a thirty-year-old fat RPGer in my mom's basement. After all, everyoneknows there are no girls on the internet.
So what solutions can I offer? None. Not my job. I'm pretty much just here to complain right now. Heck, I'm not even completely sure why beauty is quite as important to us as it is, except that it probably has some sort of root in reproduction and sexual selection. After all, any mass human behavior tends to boil down to Freud and Darwin.
Besides, whether you're a Beast or a Belle, a Cruella or a Kristoff, if you're reading this, you're probably old enough to understand that your self worth should depend on a hell of a lot more than the cut of your mug. If not, ask your dad. Mom'll lie to you.
Your Humble Ranter bids you adieu. Happy reading, keep thinking critically, and stop worrying about your face so much.
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