Beauty and the Genes

Recently, I read an article on the subject of ‘Personal Beauty’, and what it means to different people.

I have two young daughters. Sadly, their appearance will probably become more and more important to them, as they grow and change into young women.

Of course, as their mother, I have tried to instill in them the importance of other qualities, (fairness, empathy, confidence, intelligence & ambition) over the superficial. They are both physically attractive, (in my eyes at least!) so they already have a head start in the ‘Beauty Wars’. But I don’t want them to rely only on their looks as they journey through life. That would be one BIG mistake.

I probably did rely on mine a bit, when I was younger.

Hey, it WAS the 80’s!!

I had no one to advise me otherwise. My own mother, (a very attractive woman) was very much a shameless siren in her 40’s. A fact that used to sicken me, as I watched her flirt with nearly every man she met, including one of my own first boyfriends. No, I still haven’t forgiven her, I am ashamed to say!

But now it’s 2016. Apparently, women, and the men around them, have moved on from valuing themselves mainly on their looks, and figures. Right?

Why has society not caught up with us? Is it because of the way women are portrayed in the media, the film and television culture, the advertising industry? Is it because some women hold us back by choosing to use their bodies/looks to gain financial worth?

Or is it because we are all fighting our own human pre-programmed disposition to certain algorithms of attractiveness; unfairly passed on to us by our own evolutionary genes?

Researchers have found that the computer generated, mathematical average of a series of faces is rated more favorably than individual faces. Evolutionarily, it makes logical sense that sexual creatures should be attracted to mates who possess predominantly common or average features. – Wikipedia.

It’s not only women that suffer from crises of confidence when it comes to image, either. Many young, and not so young, men also have low self-esteem when it comes to evaluating their physical appearance.

Male body image issues.

It seems then, that we can’t control our bias towards beauty quite as much as we’d like to.

It’s written in our genes.

After all, most of us appreciate a breathtaking sunset of many colours, the fresh prettiness of a flower, or the fluffy cuteness of a kitten or a puppy. I’m not saying don’t enjoy beauty, in any form that you find it in!

But I don’t want to give it any glorification.

It’s not an achievement, resulting from years of hard work and practice. It’s not a right, that some deserve more than offers. It can’t be bought, although many try. Somehow, cosmetic surgery always looks a little ‘off ‘ to me.

Can we all just STOP giving outward appearances so much thought, as a 21st century world, please! How we look is just one tiny facet of our lives.

There are so many more interesting and worthwhile things to do with our time!!

And I’m off to do them now. Toodle Pip!

Things to do instead of being beautiful!

 

Cheers!

The Hedgehog x