COLUMN: The Beauty of it All?

From Jeffrey Han's "The Central Dogma," Fall '95 From Jeffrey Han's "The Central Dogma," Fall '95Beauty. It shouldn't matter, should it? Of course not. That is one of the messages that is often sent to us as we grow up. Too much vanity is discouraged. Spend long periods of time in front of a mirror and you may be playfully ridiculed. It is "inner" beauty we must strive for, a mixture of compassion, intelligence and judicious action that should be the focus of our thinking when looking at others. These are the characteristics that make a person a person and will take you where you want to go in life. Beauty is, after all, only skin deep. Just take a typical day. The first thing I do, as soon as I wake up, is shower. My thinking is that most people do. Why? Sometimes I wonder. Maybe it wakes me up a bit, but so does the negative 20 degree morning wind chill. It probably shouldn't matter how clean I am. The manageability of my hair also bears no relation to my well-being. Plus it takes up a valuable 10 minutes of sleep. But showering makes you feel better. More specifically, it usually makes you look better. Next, let's walk by My Favorite Muffin on the way to class. What do I see? A herd of sorority girls ordering bagels and low-fat muffins for breakfast. Gotta keep that figure nice and trim, I guess. And how about lunch? I'll have two pieces of lettuce. Mmm, mmm, does that sound satisfying or what? Somehow I find it hard to believe that anyone would consistently enjoy eating so little, or want to believe that they enjoy eating so little, for any reason other than personal appearance. Then there's the afternoon workout. Walk by University Nautilus and we see the same herd of sorority girls on stairmasters. Now, I can understand playing a game such as tennis, but climbing stairs? Is it really that fun? Because running up the stairs to my apartment every day is a major pain in the ass. And of course us guys go to the gym and lift. You never know when you might spontaneously need to bench press 200 pounds. Although I have yet to encounter that situation, I'm anxiously awaiting the day. Walk by the barber shop. People are getting haircuts. Walk by the Gap. People are shopping for new clothes. Walk into a department store and witness aisles and aisles of makeup and perfume, front and center. Image and beauty are so obviously central parts of our society. To even attempt to deny this is ridiculous. Beauty is glorified and worshiped every day. Just flick on the TV or look in virtually any magazine. This makes it as powerful as anything you can imagine. Beauty can make the fools out of the supremely intelligent. It can cause the downfall of the supremely powerful. Yes, in certain situations, beauty can get you practically anything. Why, then, do the intellectual attempt to pass off beauty as a superficial pursuit? Being vain and being shallow are usually implied to go hand in hand. But I do not see how anyone can condemn another for being concerned about or proud of their looks. If that were the case, then the whole world would be shallow. Just as everyone wants to be successful, everyone wants to be beautiful. And why not? Beauty is the one trait that people universally like to see in others. Naturally it would follow that it is the trait that everyone wants to possess. You can find those that deny it, or act as if it doesn't matter to them, but it does. I cannot believe that there is a single person out there that does not truly want to be beautiful. What's wrong with that? It is an inseparable part of our lives. It is undeniable that the desire to be beautiful is and always will be a permanent fixture in our society.