Beauty Defined
6May2006
Beauty is a strange thing – you see it everywhere, but everyone sees it differently. But the strangest thing is something I saw on a news stand last week.
There was an issue of People Magazine announcing the 100 most beautiful people in the world. All the usual (airbrushed) suspects there then – Angelina, Brad, Jennifer, Me, but then I spotted Angelina and Brad with kids as the world’s most beautiful family – that made me laugh out loud.
But what made me laugh more was the magazine on the rack below. It was the Spanish version of People (People en Español). Now, I am not too good with Spanish, but I think I can guess that Los 50 más bellos means the 50 most beautiful people. Which poses the question – why only 50? Here are three suggested answers:
- People Magazine only has half the budget for their Spanish version of the magazine
- Folks who speak Spanish are uglier, so People Magazine couldn’t actually find 100 beauties
- Hispanics have much higher standards, so many of the English-speaking so-called beauties just didn’t pass muster
Given my experience with dark latino beauties (only in my head) I can only deduce that the latter is probably the most correct. What do you think?
I think that it is amazing that something so rude (if you really think about it…Hey folks! Here they are! They’re the most beautiful people on the planet! Bar none! ) has kept rearing its ugly head year after year. I feel the same about Joan Rivers’ job consisting of being horrible to people. She gets paid to be a jerk.
It’s amazing.
My view is that if People magazine is really discovering the most beautiful people, then they should be the same people in both versions of the magazine…right? Crazy.
Good Morning Mr Tom Quinn, hope your vaca was vun-der-bah and much relaxing.
I agree with jromer, how freekin stupid. Just because I am not famous, I am not listed in there. hrmph.
yes, brownboy, one would think. . . .
I certainly don’t think the second choice is an option. Not that I’ve been to either place but I’m sure if you spent an afternoon in LA and then an afternoon in Brazil or any other South American country it wouldn’t take too long to figure out which has the more beautiful population.
And further more, I agree that anyone who purchases those magazines for anything other than a good laugh should be banished to their own planet where they can airbrush and implant anything they feel the need to without imposing their ideas of “beautiful” on the rest of the natural population.
That is curious!
I’ve got to agree with the rest of the pack here… were the 50 in the Spanish magazine the top half of the American list? Cuz really, if they are THE most beautiful people in the world it really shouldn’t matter where tehy come from… as long as it is planet Earth. (Yay it is so much fun to rehash what everyone elkse is saying!)
Well, you also might be onto something with point 3… I can’t speak for the rest of ya’ll but I haven’t gotten gotten some in more days than I can count, and with each passing morning my standards drop a little more.
Maybe that’s the secret… maybe our Spanish brothers and sisters are just gettin’ more sweet sweet lovin’ than us in North America…
Evaluating beauty is subjective and sometimes perverse. For example, at my work, we usually exclamate “how beautiful!” at the sight of a “beautiful” cut surface! (I am a resident in pathology)!
I know I feel less beautiful the more I look through the magazines, but it doesn’t stop me from looking for some reason.
jromer – amazing it is, but it obviously helps sell magazines…
brownboy – you would expect the people to be the same in both, but they are not. The Spanish version only has Spanish speakers…
doo dah – I am still on my trip – for a few more days anyhow. I was listed as my alter ego (I cannot divulge, though)…
allykay – how true…
dr bob – I think the point you make about our Spanish brothers and sisters having more sweet loving is probably a good one…
e.i. – it’s true. I often see things others would see as ugly and think “wow!”…
nonblond – yup, those things can be contagious. I never feel less beautiful however
Haha! Yes, Latinos definitely have higher standards!
I personally think that for an ethnic group (not a race because that’s not what we are…) that Hispanics in general are more beautiful so not #2.
I think that you are correct in leaning towards option #3, and my empirical basis for doing so is the same as yours.
i suspect that such local adaptation is due to: “well spanish speaking people don’t have the intellectual capacity to deal with 100, give them 50 that will be more than enough” – if only intellectual capacity is a mesure for people magazine readers.