Tuesday, October 07, 2008

A Quick Question

I was waiting in the orthodontists office this morning and as I was flicking through Harper's Bazaar a question occured to me:

Why is it all of the models photographed look vacant, even vacuous?

Is beauty really defined by how empty the head is?

It is ever so slightly worrying.

7 comments:

  1. Women have many states. I'm going to have to refer more exclusively to women, as I tend not to see men as either beautiful or sexy - that's not to say that they're not, I just don't really see it myself.

    Women can be made to appear to look beautiful. But... you can tell when they don't feel it. When they just do what they're told and get their photos taken for the sake of looking good.

    I have thought for a long time that sexy is a state of mind. Indeed, I was pretty sure I'd written something on this before myself, and indeed I have:
    I have always said that sexy is a state of mind. Sexy is about not just about how you look or what you wear, but about how you wear it and how you move. Sometimes, you see tiny girls with big breasts and skimpy clothing, who actually manage to somehow not be very sexy. You see this sometimes in music videos. Even when they're supposedly dancing seductively, you can see they almost look like they're trying to remember exactly what dance move to do next, and the look of concentration on their face as they desperately try to languidly stroke their thighs.

    'Ee, the information age is a nifty ol' thing :)

    Beauty is not defined by the head, or how empty it is.

    It is defined by the heart.

    ReplyDelete
  2. IM ~ it's interesting that you chose to equate beauty and sexyness.

    I think there's an important distinction to be made here. Sexy, is about sexual attractiveness - the projection of 'I'm looking for a mate'. It's about projecting availability.

    I'm sure there's a lot of literature about beauty and sexual attractiveness - but that's not what I'm talking about in this instance.

    For me 'beauty' is of itself. A woman or a man can be beautiful without being sexual. For example, to me Audrey Hepburn is beautiful. Her photographs capture thoughtfullness, playfullness and allure - I'm sure there are many men who think 'yeah but she's sexy', but that's not her projection. There's a subtlety in beauty, that's completely missing in sexy.

    I'm not saying the two are mutually exclusive: Gillian Anderson I believe is both.

    ReplyDelete
  3. IM ~ Also, (after having another moment to think about it), you talk about women being made up to be beautiful and not feeling it - that's about confidence and self-esteem.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh I agree on beauty and sexyness!

    My first comment, which I think I lost, I actually wrote about that! I remember thinking about it at school, how you could see some people were sexy and others pretty, but rarely you see both at the same time (One tends to cancel the other out). I prefer thinking of pretty/sexy rather than beauty/sexy though. I think it's harder to conjure up a single mental image of "beauty" than it is pretty, because beauty is so much more all-encompassing.

    I probably thought along the lines of "sexy" because of the whole magazine thing, where things tend to be flaunted. I don't know though, I don't even know what Harper's Bazaar is :) But I assumed it was some sort of mag along those lines.

    I think confidence and self-esteem is a part of it sometimes, but not all of it. Sometimes I think people just force themselves into something that doesn't suit who they are... Not just confidence though... It is... more than that.

    My head's not clear on what else I'm trying to say right now, so I'll summarise with: I see what you mean, and on the whole I agree :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. IM ~ I think confidence and good self-esteem allow you to know yourself and be comfortable with what you see.

    If you know yourself, you'll know what works for you and what doesn't and to act accordingly.

    Prettiness is a completely different thing again. It's got no depth to it and fades over time.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes... Yes, I was thinking about this today in particular, as I looked out over scenery and the word that came to mind was "beautiful" (as well as stunning, and breathtaking).

    I spent a while pondering what beauty actually is, before deciding that it's in the eye of the beholder ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. (Or sometimes the beer-holder)

    ReplyDelete

Hey, how's it going?

Bank Holiday Sunday

Dear Dave I woke up today with Philip Glass' Metamorphosis in my head. It's apt really as it was part of the music chosen for your...