Monday, January 31, 2011

The Imperfect Man


Human beings are imperfect. So what? That is why they are called humans. I am not talking about character imperfections here - just the physical aspects. Why the rush to appear uniformly good looking? In a few years time, everyone is going to look like they were made in an assembly line - all alike and without any distinguishing characteristics. Talk about the end of evolution!

Everyone wants to be thin - not that it is wrong in the first place. Just that being thin is not a virtue in itself- definitely it shouldn't be an all-consuming thought that should take up all your waking hours and dreams. Moderation is good - I am all for it. There should be an organic way where one is able to balance work, life, food and other things. And I don't desire a "WALL-E- like" world where everyone is super obese and is levitating around in mechanical devices. But neither do I want to live in a world where everyone is super-correct-sized and has a BMI ranging between 22 and 22.5.

I have been in places where the majority of the population is super-slim and super-tan and super good looking - and something was gravely wrong with that situation. It was just that everyone who looked so was also extremely self-conscious of the fact that they looked great. That takes the fun out of everything. People should go about their lives, and do what they want to do, and more importantly enjoy it, and also make sure that they don't overdo things and have a reasonable girth. One's entire lifetime should' t be dedicated to achieving the perfect look - all your waking hours are spent on either achieving that look, and once you achieve it, spent in prancing around in the shortest/tightest clothes that would best highlight your achieved proportions.

That also brings me to aging gracefully - I can count with one hand the number of people I know who I think have aged gracefully. The majority dye their hair in such shades of black that will make a crow blush. And worse - they become lazy and don't re-dye at regular intervals - which results in interesting shades of color cropping up, and the base-camp turning white, while the peaks remain black. If you are going to perpetuate a lie, at least be diligent about it. Lie with some discipline and conviction, I say.

And about pot-bellies. I am not against pot-bellies per se. It all depends on the context, you see. If a pot-belly is accompanied by a vacant, lifeless face, and a distant look - there is nothing worse than that. Instead, that person can hold a banner saying "I have officially given up on life - so, if you have anything to say to me, save it, I am not interested". But a pot belly + a lively face + a spring in the step + fire in the approach towards life is not bad at all. In fact it is a perfect recipe for aging.

Aging can be done well. I have seen it happen. Age brings charm with it- only that you should not be a knuckle head to not notice it and camouflage it with bright colored neckless t-shirts and bad hair dyes.

I am told (by more informed sources in this matter) that all girls want to have straight hair. Why- I ask. And everyone these days want to straighten their teeth as well - okay, there are some dental advantages for some people to fix their teeth - but I won't buy the argument that everyone needs to do it. There are a lot of people whose smiles are way more charming - just because they have slightly crooked teeth.

I don't even want to get into the botox story. (Actually other people have handled this issue better.) All I want to say is that I think the world will be poorer if Robert Deniro or George Clooney go ahead and botox their frown wrinkles out. Particularly Deniro's wrinkles - it's an asset for him, not otherwise.

All this straightening, dyeing, tanning, and tucking and taping is only leading to the death of aesthetics. As a population, there will be a day when your next door neighbor will be an exact replica of you and everyone else you know. Homogenizing may be good to store milk for a longer duration - it is not so great for people.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

AGREE - with the visual intensity of the upper case to everything you say in the post from self-consciousness to an (even for me incomprehensible) obsession over certain measurements to aging gracefully to Deniro's wrinkles :)

One of the better posts I have read in the recent times, delivered as forthrightly as ever!

The Curator said...

So true!

GB said...

What's your stance on the Imperfect Woman? Aren't pot bellies the greatest? Say yes, you'd betcha.

The Curator said...

Good one GB!

magesh said...

@ Srini - What happened! Why not an uncle anymore! Just kidding. THANK YOU.

@ Chandrima - Two words and an exclamation. Three words and an exclamation. For my nth post, I'll get 10 words and two exclamations, I think :-)Just kidding as well.

@ GB - God invented silence so that people can stay out of trouble. Budham saranam gacchaami!

Anonymous said...

Magesh: I actually beCAME an uncle; so perhaps that's the reason! :D

Anonymous said...

well, old people do dye hard sometimes, for though it is possible to age gracefully it is not that easy as it sounds.Many a current oldies would have wondered on the same lines once upon a time, but time wounds all heels.
Like all fashions dyeing,straightening hair etc are induced epidemics, so one should learn to tolerate bad poetry, for what is life but a series of inspired follies? True, one shouldn't dedicate one's life to this menace.No point worrying about the world coming to an end just for spotting few silver hairs, for it is already tomorrow in Australia!

Vibhor said...

that's why Beer belly is good...it gives you
"a pot belly + a lively face + a spring in the step + fire in the approach towards life (debatable)"

magesh said...

@ Anon - "...for it is already tomorrow in Australia" - I declare it the statement of the year.

@ Vibhor - the truth is spoken! I think it is a breakthrough insight - and one that hopefully goes beyond the comments section of this blog and spreads.;-)