God bless beautiful women with lines on their faces.

[DwayneEMTP]

So Babs and I are watching Human Target last night and there is a beautiful woman as a central character. As I'm watching I'm asking myself, "What makes her beautiful? Why is she more beautiful to me than the next woman?" I'm curious of such things, though not exactly sure why..

Then I realize that part of what I find attractive are (Is?) her 'imperfections.' She has laugh lines around her mouth, crows feet at her eyes, lines on her forehead....Tons of character and the confidence to accept it. I've told Babs for decades that "I don't really trust people without lines on their face." She thinks this is pretty funny, but my thinking is this, that if lines come from laughing, and crying, and worrying, and spending to much time in the sun trying to make a living, then what can I really have in common with those that haven't done such things? And if they've done such things, what can I really have in common with someone that attempts to hide the evidence instead of celebrating a full life well lived?

Now, I'm talking about women here for the most part. Men are dorks. I expect them to do silly, shallow, dorky things and in fact kind of like the fact that we (maybe just me I guess) run around acting as if someone snipped our maturity wire much to early. But I expect more from women somehow.. :-)

Is anyone else getting tired of waxy expressions? Foreheads that appear to be made out of clay? Movie star after tv star after socialite on the red carpet with their perfect braless boobs with nipples all pointed at the exact same degree of upward tilt? I love boobs. I love everything about them in every conceivable incarnation, but I'm finding that I like confidence and individuality much, much more.

It used to be that if I came across someone in jeans and cowboy boots that I'd instantly know that we came from a 'like' subculture. No so much any more of course. And it used to be that when I met someone with character in their face and hands that I'd know the same. Some how it seems that we're losing part of our spirit with these cosmetic changes. We seem to be screaming our developing young people that be that years, and miles, and tears don't matter, that appearance is all.

Am I just getting old? Or is our culture getting queered in a bad way?

I hope it goes without saying that I'm speaking of those that change for vanity. Those amongst us that have been born or become physically damaged and are simply looking for the opportunity to be able to interact normally in society, well, I hope they get the sexiest noses, the perkiest boobs. I hope they get whatever they need to get healthy, but the others? They are starting to make me a little crazy.

Ok. I guess that's my rant, though it's also a sincere question.

I look forward to your thoughts...

Dwayne

[emtannie]

... Some how it seems that we're losing part of our spirit with these cosmetic changes. We seem to be screaming our developing young people that be that years, and miles, and tears don't matter, that appearance is all....

That is quite a rant...

For sake of time and space, I have shortened your rant to the section I would like to primarily focus on.

I agree with your thinking, that in today's world, we (the societal "we") put far more emphasis on the outward appearance, than the character and ability of a person. I think part of this is the never-ending media coverage on the celebrity or socialite of the week, and how Angelina is prettier than Jennifer (or vice versa) and that is why there are problems in relationships. A perfect example of appearance being all is Pamela Anderson (ok, Dwayne, I know you said you like boobs, but still)... and my point exactly is... what is her biggest asset and claim to fame? It isn't her brilliant wit.

I watched an interesting documentary the other night on "Hyper-Parents" - the ones who over-organize, over-supervise, and over-push their children to be everything that they weren't (aren't?), and how that is screwing up kids. These parents are so worried that their children won't be the best, the smartest, the perfect, that some begin before the child is born to expose them to "intelligent" music; they are in dance and art classes by age 2; universities are now having "parent orientation days" rather than "student orientation days" because of the meddling influence of so many parents.

What this brings me to, is that the focus continues not just in academics, but competition in all matters - these people want their child to be the best-looking, the best-dressed, the flawless one. In an effort to make their child stand out from the crowd, they are in fact breeding an entire generation that is focussed on the picture of success, not success itself.

By bringing up the next generation in this manner, we are preventing them from learning from mistakes, because we are not allowing them to have mistakes; we are preventing them from knowing how to deal with loss and failures, because we are trying so hard to protect them from every manner of loss that they don't know how to deal with it; we are teaching them that scars are a bad thing, not a badge of learning, and at times, honor.

As Dwayne looks at faces, I look at hands... there is a lot more character in hands that have known hard work than in those silky smooth hands that have spent more time at a salon than doing hard work. I have attached an example... in the picture I have attached, look at the woman's hands. Now consider that when this picture was taken, she was not yet 40. Doesn't that tell you more about a person than the over-made, botoxed, pampered look that seems to be the preference now? I have never attached a file to a post - so I hope this works..)

I don't want a mask or a costume - I want to know who I am looking at, who I am dealing with - when I see botox and plastic, I think Barbie and Ken... and we know how much brains they have...