Be that as it may, seeing the beefcake contestants and the women selected for them, a couple of thoughts came to mind: First, true love is only for perfect people, if we are to judge by the contestants chosen by the casting directors. Apparently, to qualify for these kinds of shows, one must possess absolutely flawless physical features or be willing to disrobe to one's skivvies at the drop of a hat. Of course, it's presupposed that if one's willing to drop one's skivvies, the resulting visual will not turn viewers to turn off their televisions or change the channel. What was more appalling still is that, from the little I've seen in the promo -- and believe me, I do not watch nor will I be watching this show -- even the supposed marriage counselors who are on the show are beautiful. Which begs the question -- if beautiful people already rule the world, why do they need a television show? Do they need to continue to shove it down the throats of imperfect people? Or are they trying to show how similar they are to imperfect people? Regardless, it makes me puke.
The only show in this vein that I had any appreciation for was the late Beauty and the Geek. There, beautiful women were paired with geeky and quite physically unattractive men. To be fair, there should have been a companion show, entitled perhaps Hunk and the Wallflower, where gorgeous men were paired up with intelligent but less attractive females. The show never poked fun at just one side of the equation: The men looked as ridiculous at times as the women looked stupid. But at least there was an infusion of reality in this show; not everyone in the cast was a beauty.
To believe the latest incarnation of this show, the guys are all could-be models who are pursued for marriage by could-be model women. The people deciding on the eugenic pairing are themselves beautiful. It's a load of hooey.
I remember one time seeing an episode of the old Twilight Zone series called Number 12 Looks Just Like You wherein a woman is perceived to be the ugly duckling. The only faces seen in almost the entirety of the episode are those of the people judging the ugly duckling. Their faces are swine-like, if I remember correctly, with upturned noses and unattractive features besides. At the end of the episode, the ugly duckling is revealed to be this beautiful blonde woman who, in the episode, is regarded at uncommonly unattractive. It's quite the commentary on society.
That gives me a segue into the second thing I pondered while I watched that distasteful promo. I wondered what it would be like to be perfect. Not that I care to be, mind you, lest I traipse into Rula Lenska or Kelly LeBrock territory.
But I wonder what it would be like to have perfect teeth, a perfect smile, a perfect body. To be able to say things that met with no disfavor, at which everyone laughed. To be smart beyond reason, to know how everything worked.
There are people out there like that. I have a cousin who was accepted at Stanford Law School. But he was so socially maladroit -- go figure, someone from my family who's socially maladroit -- that he hardly qualified as a beautiful person. He's also not that tall and definitely physically beautiful.
Sure, beautiful people complain that their looks are held against them. They're underestimated, thought of as being brainless and not taken seriously. But that complaint rings hollow. Because of their good looks they get so many advantages that whatever shortcomings they possess are often overlooked.
I know there's no accounting for taste. Karen loves me and is attracted to be contrary to any source of reason, and I know I'm quite fortunate to have the love of a good, intelligent and hot woman. There are many from my generation who felt that Farrah Fawcett was a goddesss; I felt there were many other better looking women deserving of my attention.
But this fascination with the trials and tribulations of beautiful people is at an all-time high. It's hardly representative of reality, as most humans aren't as drop-dead gorgeous as the people who inhabit these mindless searches for true love on television.
(c) 2013 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
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