Sunday 24 July 2011

The prettiest people do the ugliest things...




About a year ago I made a literary goal - to read as many Penguin classics as I can. I'm not exactly sure what prompted this goal, but probably a mix of the inner nerdburger inside me, to make up my own mine if all these stories deserve the title 'classic' and to have an excuse for a whole shelf of penguins in my house - I love how they look united in their orange and white uniform.

To ensure I don't grow to dull and take forever to read one book (as some of these tales do require lots of attention, something lacking before falling asleep at night), I change things up by alternating between a 'classic' and well, anything 'not-classic'!

Anyway, The Picture of Dorian Gray by the masterful and flamboyant wordsmith Oscar Wilde is the latest classic box to be ticked.

I was not disappointed in Oscar's only novel. It explores high and low brow topics from aesthetics, morality, class (as in place in society), homo erotica and the power of influence amongst other things. What keeps Wilde's Dorian Gray so interesting is by far is wit and skill with words.

I could pick one of the many topics this novel raises, but today I choose the concept 'what if our physical appearance reflected our indiscretions'? Cue Kanye West quote:

"the prettiest people do the ugliest things for the road to riches and diamond rings"...

 If someone was really bad (as in the most mean spirited person out there) would we know by just looking at them, seeing them as ugly and steer clear? Likewise, if someone were kindhearted and genuine, would they look like Giselle B and we could never hate her? Imagine instead of going to the gym, getting laser treatments and makeup we became more attractive by just being good people?

This is something I have imagined on and off over the last few years. Living in a world where you are judged by your waistline and your ass instead of your heart makes me wish for something better. I have been there, feeling so down when I put on an extra kilo, and even being called 'fat' (in south-east Asia) by total strangers!! I have even heard more disturbing stories of so-called man (so called cause REAL man would never do this) going up to a complete stranger and said to her "you are really pretty I would date you if you lost a few kilos"... ummmn WTF???

While I know this is an extreme example, this theory of the outer reflecting the inner is not brand new... hello Shallow Hal... but I would love to live in this world, for even just a day. Hey, if for nothing else it would make scanning my friend's potential new boyfriends a lot easier!!

Of course, this is not to say that you cannot be beautiful inside and out - all my girlfriends are living examples of this - kind, smart and SUPER HOT ladies.

I have also been guilty of assuming a good-looking gal might be bit of a meanie when she isn't.

However, it is also true that people's personalities do reflect on their faces. I have met many genetically blessed beings only to find them terribly unattractive due a quite defunct personality... so maybe we kind of live in Wilde's world anyway.

Mmmmm, I don't know, still reckon it would be a much better world with so many Vicky Secret Angels and Armani male models walking around if our good deeds gave us all more double takes and wolf whistles when ducking into the shops for milk in our tracky dacks and unwashed hair...

See ya,
M x 

No comments:

Post a Comment