Arrow
So I was listening to the radio on my way back from the gym and there was an ad on for that new show on the CW called Arrow. You know. 'Cause archery is so in right now. Anyway, I didn't realize wth they were talking about at first because it was some dude describing all the injuries some guy (arrow?) sustained. Like covered in scar tissue and burns and broken bones and shit. So I'm thinking, "OMG this man is disfigured!" Then I realized they were describing the character of Arrow and I just rolled my eyes. Because have you seen the guy? Talk about vanity scars. The man is not nearly as disfigured as described in the photo. Maybe part of it is budget but I'm betting most of it is the fact that they don't wanna scare those poor little teeny boppers who actually watch the CW away from watching the show.
What I'm saying is, I hate when people talk about how "ugly" someone is and then punk out and make them hot anyway. That new Beauty and the Beast show? What the fuck is that shit? It's a dude with a face scar. Like a small face scar. I want a show where when they say he has burn scars his entire half of his face is destroyed. I want legit rounded violent scar tissue. It's the principle of the matter. How can a story claim to have some sort of hero who overcomes disfigurements and social ostracization and then just cop out and make them handsome or beautiful? It's weak sauce I tell you. And then you spend the whole movie/show trying to convince the audience this person is ugly (I swear!) but don't really do anything terrible to their face and everyone still wants them anyway. Not because they're the hero and they're wonderful and charming, but because they're played by Brad Pitt with a gap in his eyebrow.
I loved the move Penelope. I thought it was a sweet film. But I was so angry when she was turned back into a normal girl at the end. I wanted her to stay a pig. First of all, she wasn't all that horrible looking with the pig nose and ears. Second of all, James McAvoy loved her for who she was and didn't care about her birth defects. So what was the narrative purpose of turning her back into Christina Ricci? I mean sure, it's to show she broke the curse by learning to love herself but doesn't it undermine your entire purpose if you tell her she's learned to love who she is and then make her beautiful and take away what she'd JUST learned to accept? It's like you're telling little girls that they need to learn to love being chubby or bony or big nosed or crippled or whatever but it is ALWAYS better to be skinny and pretty. And the handsome guy might love you despite your faults but he'll love you more if you can figure out a way to look like Christina Ricci.
Ladies you might be under some theoretical curse but if you work hard enough and learn to love yourself enough you'll magically turn into a different person who's conventionally attractive. Your value beyond that aren't important, or not nearly as important as not looking ugly next to Reese Witherspoon. Which is kind of hard if we really think about it. Look. It might look like I just said I loved this movie and then shat all over it. But that's because I really really liked the moral behind the story. That's why it made me sooooo mad when they turned Penelope "normal." Because in real life being fat or disfigured or albino what black or single-lidded isn't a curse. It's who you are. You don't get to just change it by working hard and loving yourself and making friends and meeting people who will kiss you despite or because of them. More than likely you just be you but with more confidence and that should be enough. Because none of those things I listed should be that "on noes!" list of terrible things your child could be born with. They should be just another tool in our vocabulary for human value and attractiveness. Along with intelligence, humor, and empathy.
So my point. My point is that people, the media especially, need to stop with this "ugly" but low-key hot bullshit. Just stop it.
What I'm saying is, I hate when people talk about how "ugly" someone is and then punk out and make them hot anyway. That new Beauty and the Beast show? What the fuck is that shit? It's a dude with a face scar. Like a small face scar. I want a show where when they say he has burn scars his entire half of his face is destroyed. I want legit rounded violent scar tissue. It's the principle of the matter. How can a story claim to have some sort of hero who overcomes disfigurements and social ostracization and then just cop out and make them handsome or beautiful? It's weak sauce I tell you. And then you spend the whole movie/show trying to convince the audience this person is ugly (I swear!) but don't really do anything terrible to their face and everyone still wants them anyway. Not because they're the hero and they're wonderful and charming, but because they're played by Brad Pitt with a gap in his eyebrow.
I loved the move Penelope. I thought it was a sweet film. But I was so angry when she was turned back into a normal girl at the end. I wanted her to stay a pig. First of all, she wasn't all that horrible looking with the pig nose and ears. Second of all, James McAvoy loved her for who she was and didn't care about her birth defects. So what was the narrative purpose of turning her back into Christina Ricci? I mean sure, it's to show she broke the curse by learning to love herself but doesn't it undermine your entire purpose if you tell her she's learned to love who she is and then make her beautiful and take away what she'd JUST learned to accept? It's like you're telling little girls that they need to learn to love being chubby or bony or big nosed or crippled or whatever but it is ALWAYS better to be skinny and pretty. And the handsome guy might love you despite your faults but he'll love you more if you can figure out a way to look like Christina Ricci.
Ladies you might be under some theoretical curse but if you work hard enough and learn to love yourself enough you'll magically turn into a different person who's conventionally attractive. Your value beyond that aren't important, or not nearly as important as not looking ugly next to Reese Witherspoon. Which is kind of hard if we really think about it. Look. It might look like I just said I loved this movie and then shat all over it. But that's because I really really liked the moral behind the story. That's why it made me sooooo mad when they turned Penelope "normal." Because in real life being fat or disfigured or albino what black or single-lidded isn't a curse. It's who you are. You don't get to just change it by working hard and loving yourself and making friends and meeting people who will kiss you despite or because of them. More than likely you just be you but with more confidence and that should be enough. Because none of those things I listed should be that "on noes!" list of terrible things your child could be born with. They should be just another tool in our vocabulary for human value and attractiveness. Along with intelligence, humor, and empathy.
So my point. My point is that people, the media especially, need to stop with this "ugly" but low-key hot bullshit. Just stop it.