The Daily Mail journalist Samantha Brick`s claim that her beauty makes life difficult, not least because other women become so jealous they end up disliking her, created an enormous amount of vitriol - and interest. Some questioned how a woman who doesn`t appear to be anything special could have the arrogance to imagine herself beautiful. Others thought such delusion must be the result of subconscious low self esteem. When the initial furore had subsided, the debate continued with many people agreeing that exceptional physical attractiveness was not always easy to live with, and that some women felt threatened by those who were beautiful. Brick`s comment certainly made us look closely at the subject of appearance.
The whole affair has exposed our fascination with all things we judge to be good looking, and highlighted something about jealousy that means this is not about Samantha Brick: it`s about us, and when we look at another person we are simply making comparisons with ourselves. If someone does everything within their power to be physically more attractive, all that results is that others look in the mirror more closely. Money on clothing, cosmetics and hair styling is spent so others can ponder their own worth and significance.
We are surrounded by items of beauty that provoke similar emotion. I`ve often thought that by buying an expensive new car I am simply providing a moving display for others to fantasize over. They are not going to look at me, sitting there behind the wheel, and think, I am pleased for him, but instead imagine themselves behind the wheel, and what it would be like to own such a car. All I get in return for my money is a view of the dashboard – and one dash looks very much like any other, believe me. The real beauty will be appreciated by those outside, looking on.
Truck designers place great emphasis on the image their vehicles present to the world. And although they use basic symmetry to achieve the looks we find most attractive in people, there`s a lot more going on. Just like fashion can dictate hair styling, the use of facial studs and other adornments, truck appearances change to reflect contemporary attitudes. In the modern world of full control, where every second of the day has to be accounted for and everything is expected to work to maximum effect, every moment presents a challenge.
With so many demands and so much complexity, the reaction is obvious: everyone`s on the attack. We mirror confrontation and become confrontational ourselves. All around this attitude is interpreted as normal, the natural consequence of our new systems. You can see it in Scania`s R800 and its twin, the new Actros. The word in truck design at the moment seems to be `aggressive`, a physical representation of the new order. These are the machines of the digital age; a compilation of discrete shapes coming together to complete a task, like the computers that run them. It would be a brave creation that went against such a trend; anything outside the current vogue for confrontation would surely be seen as unattractive. We want to see something in the trucks appearance that we imagine we need to see in ourselves.
Samantha Brick need not worry about the reactions of others to her looks. It`s not her they are worried about, it`s themselves. But if she is still concerned, she can always create an image for herself that no one else would find desirable. Reflect something no one would wish to see in the mirror. Even if natural beauty is used as a base to build on, cosmetic changes are easily achieved. If the current thing is long blonde hair and business suits, she could cut her hair, dye it black and wear an afghan coat. But even then it`ll probably all be a waste of time and money, and she would be better off staying as she is. She`ll soon be replaced in the “I” of others.
No comments:
Post a Comment