I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for a Cinderella story. And as far as that goes, “Britain’s Got Talent” has now gotten me twice. The first time was Paul Potts‘ amazing performance of “Nessun Dorma”, which gave me chills and actually made me tear up a little. The second time was Susan Boyle’s transformation from frumpy hausfrau type to wellspring of heartfelt emotion in a bottle.
It sucks to say this, but part of me felt that Boyle was in danger of some serious notice by all the wrong elements of the media. I say it sucks because I know how these things go. In an age of makeovers and reality shows that emphasize physical beauty and ignore true value, Boyle was now firmly in the sights of people who were salivating over the chance to turn her from the perfectly normal, loveable-because-she’s-honestly-herself person into something more resembling what the mainstream audience wants from its stars.
And now it’s beginning to happen. And the crappy part of it all is that I do prefer looking at her this way. She is more physically attractive with her new hair coloring, new duds, etc. And that shouldn’t matter, but it does. We are all, whether or not we care to acknowledge it, subject to beauty. Studies have shown that attractive people are more likely to receive favors and assistance than unattractive people. They’re more likely to be given the benefit of the doubt and have others go out of their way to help them. In short, their lives are simply made easier because they’re good-looking. It shouldn’t be that way, but there it is.
And now it’s starting to happen to Susan Boyle. This isn’t about whether or not she deserves such treatment; we all deserve better than we get. But the concern is that we’re focusing on all the wrong lessons with this kind of behavior. Are we saying that success is only valuable when it leads to beauty? Or that only the beautiful deserve to be successful? Or that we must adhere to a certain standard of beauty to find true acceptance? I hope that Susan Boyle is made of material that allows her to shrug off the sudden attention and remain the woman she’s always been — for better or worse.
Comments
suzymiller
April 24th, 2009 - 12:59:49 PM
The makeover does make her look more photogenic, but I wonder if in the flesh it really makes her seem more 'attractive'. I reckon her increased self confidence, glowing joy at the recognition she has for her genuine talent, and the fact that people are letting her share that gift, will make her positively burst with attractiveness face to face - but that energy may not travel well via photos and video clips. So maybe the makeover is merely filling in the gaps of what she is now in real life, needed since the images we see are not taken by photographers who are truly capturing her essence? As long as the changes she makes are a reflection of how she feels, (and don't involve surgery or sad attempts to emulate someone else), they will be genuine. She has changed now - no point mourning the loss of a who she was, if she is having fun being what she always wanted to be.
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Jambe
April 26th, 2009 - 7:43:53 PM
Akela, why are you so averse to change? Can people only reinvent themselves privately? Is changing one's appearance to be more appealing because of an onrush of public attention inherently evil, self-defeating, or sell-out-ish? I don't think so. It can be, but it isn't intrinsically. I doubt Ms Boyle would think of a makeover as "becoming a new woman", and if she WOULD think such a thing, she has some serious insecurity issues she needs to suss out; plunging headlong into a time of great personal and/or professional tumult would be just the thing she needs.
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David Bartle
May 1st, 2009 - 10:34:21 AM
@Jambe I agree that there is nothing inherently wrong with taking pride in yourself enough to pretty yourself up. It's really nice to dress up and "get pretty" occasionally. One can feel good about oneself if they're in a dapper suit or sleek dress. To me, its the feeling of confidence that comes from dressing up that makes me feel good and not the material things that got me there. I hope this makes Susan feel better about herself and not worse. That is all. Take this with a grain of salt tho. I am usually in sweats, stained t-shirts and grimy shoes since they are all so much more comfortable.
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