Beauty is Everything May 13, 2003 From OMNI Magazine: A successful businessman was overheard to remark, "The man who said 'Beauty is only skin deep' was probably the ugliest S.O.B. you ever saw." People deceive themselves when they argue that beauty is unimportant. All kinds of people live this deception, supporting a ten-billion-dollar-a-year cosmetics industry in the United Staes, driving up the number of plastic surgery procedures from 15,000 in 1949 to more than two million in 1990, and doling out higher academic grades and better jobs to the good looking. Attractive people do better and go further. If they engage in criminal activity, they may find they're more equal under the law. They get better breaks right up to the end. Even emergency room staffs are more likely to attempt to resuscitate good looking patients who are pronounced dead on arrival, according to research by sociologist David Sudnow. "Barter" by Sara Teasdale Life has loveliness to sell, All beautiful and splendid things Blue waves whitened on a cliff, Soaring fire that sways and sings, And children's faces looking up, Holding wonder like a cup. Life has loveliness to sell, Music like a curve of gold, Scent of pine trees in the rain, Eyes that love, arms that hold, And for your spirit's still delight Holy thoughts that star the night. Spend all you have for loveliness, Buy it and never count the cost; For one white singing hour of peace Count many a year of strife well lost, And for a breath of ecstasy Give all you have been or could be. Beauty is a quality that gives pleasure to the senses or the mind. Perceiving or contemplating an object or idea conveys sensuous or aesthetic feelings that people value highly. People's judgments of persons or things are heavily weighted in favor of beauty, perhaps even more than for intelligence or moral uprightness. Beautiful things tend to attract not only adults but also children, suggesting an innate biological impulse. Throughout history, many philosophers, journalists, essayists, and artists have taken beauty as the subject of discussion. Our assignment features a passage from Omni Magazine and a poem by Sara Teasdale. In the passage from Omni Magazine, the author said, "People deceive themselves when they argue that beauty is unimportant, attractive people do better and go further." The poem "Barter," written by Sara Teasdale, indicated that life has beauty to sell, and that one should spend whatever they have for that beauty. These authors, and many others, urge that we should strive for beauty and the beautiful. Fewer authors stress the irrationality associated with beauty or the danger of obsession with beauty. The majority say that God gave us the power to see, so why not take advantage of it and seek for beauty everywhere and at all times. I've heard many times from gossiping folks, "Beauty is not a big issue; it's what inside that really counts." I don't agree with this concept at all. I believe that women or men who have or acquire beauty or handsomeness get the better paying job, are able exert more power and control, and can lead or manipulate other people better. Being beautiful (or even just being well-dressed, having good makeup, or having beautiful hair) really does have tremendous advantages. People seem to need much more intelligence or honesty or character if they do not have good looks. They must try harder and so have more stress. A nice-looking person typically is more relaxed and confident. Beautiful people also can get away with more unusual social behavior. Other persons have a harder time and need more patience, energy, social skills, problem-solving ability, and other good characteristics. As an assistant manager in my work place, it's my job to hire or fire people. My boss told me that when I interview a person, the first thing to look for is if they are attractive. She confessed that our clients then have better attitudes about our office. She said she also thought the good-looking ones are also more sincere. As stated in the passage, "Plastic surgery procedures went from 15,000 in 1949 to more than two million in 1990." People have to care about the way they look; that's why they spend so much money for plastic surgery, and more and more people want to change their appearance. The author of the poem "Barter" can also be said to share this viewpoint. Sara Teasdale describes several beautiful moments and suggests, "Life has loveliness to sell, ...spend all you have for loveliness, buy it and never count the cost." Besides meaning that one should invest time and money to experience beautiful things, the poem could also be interpreted that one should spend money to become better looking, and don't count how much it costs! I totally agree that beautiful people have an advantage over people that are not considered beautiful. But for me, I don't want a boyfriend that looks too handsome (or too ugly!), but rather just average. If he was too cute, I would have to worry about other girls flirting with him. (I have to admit that if he was ugly, that would make me feel bad in front of my friends, because my friends may have better-looking boyfriends than the one I have.) Besides being just handsome enough, I think a person has got to win my and others hearts over by the ways he deals with life. Beauty can sometimes cover up an ugly personality, selfishness, greed, vanity, or other bad characteristic. People are complex and possess social graces that are important to me and I think are needed even for a beautiful person. Even though beauty must rank as one of the highest qualities we do find attractive in the same or opposite sex, that is not and cannot be the only thing we look for in compatible relationships among people. Beauty does have its advantages, but it must be used wisely. Sometimes the best looking people take things for granted. They do not achieve, cannot form good relationships, and are lazy. People should cherish how God created them, and realize that others are even better looking. People should work on their interior beauty as much as their outside appearance. Then they will have a better chance to succeed in life. Everyone is entitled to be greedy for good looks, but not to let it change their other social attitudes. Anyway, as time goes on, people's beauty fades and the inside beauty overcomes the outer looks. Age allows the other qualities to become more important. Also people lose the sexual drive to some extent so that this factor urging toward beauty lessens. At all ages people enjoy the beauty of nature. And the joy of children playing and laughing and looking so healthy and joyous. And musical sounds, sweet smells, and good tastes. What can be more beautiful than a nice hug or a gentle touch? And, for some, the feeling they have when they understand an idea or create a work of art (or a good essay!) is the most beautiful of all. Teasdale encourages us to "Give all you have been or could be" to enjoy, savor, and live the beautiful. The essay passage remarks on how people want to be beautiful. The perspective is different, one looking out and wondering what others think and one looking out and drawing inspiration from the beautiful things seen. Surely our world, with its many media and more free time, has led to the two ways of seeing affecting each other. So people want more nice experiences, in both ways.