Beauty May Be Only Skin-Deep, but . .

Occasionally I think that just for one day, maybe just for an hour, I’d like to be beautiful.

If I was beautiful, I probably wouldn’t have to open many doors for myself or carry anything heavy. I know I could expect oodles of favors from people I barely know.

All through my life, I have seen the advantages that attractive people have over others. I’ve seen their confidence, the ease with which they approach people.

Looks are a factor. I’ve observed how people treat me differently when I look nice as opposed to when I look like I just dug my way out of a sewer. But aside from writing this article, I don’t really waste much time arguing that looks matter. I simply accept it as fact and work around it.

My friend--let’s call her Elizabeth--is extremely pretty, with hair that falls perfectly and skin that is clear and radiant. She always gets what she wants and it’s not just because she’s nice or intelligent or funny, although she is all of these things. It’s because of the way she looks. I rarely have to ask for help when I am shopping with her--male employees race to her side. Salespeople randomly offer her markdowns. And because she is so smart, people are more amazed by her abilities because she is so beautiful.

The argument is dead wrong that looks don’t matter and personality is everything. First impressions often stick and many times there are no criteria to evaluate strangers beyond how they look.

But if looks dominate our judgment of a person, why do people deny it?

You hear people tell children that the most important thing is their intelligence, that no matter how they look they can get anywhere they want in the world. That’s entirely untrue, and to deny that looks do matter a great deal is basically telling children a lie. It also fails to prepare them for reality. If we told children the truth, they could find ways to work around the problem.

I find it amusing how society views those who have had cosmetic surgery. People are often scorned for their face lifts, liposuctions or enhancements. But they are just being practical. If looking better will help people get ahead in their work or in their social life, why not alter one’s appearance? In fact, those people are the smart ones. They’re pleasing society by altering their looks while knowing that inside they remain the same.