Saturday, August 1, 2009
One Size Fits All
In Brave New World, people are hypnopaedically conditioned to assume that larger people are more attractive. This is such a contrast to our society in so many ways. Teenage girls are starving themselves to be as small as they can, because magazines and shows like America's Next Top Model have taught them that is beautiful and that is what they should aspire to be like. However, when it comes to guys, the taller the better. I can't even count how many girls I know who refuse to date a boy that's shorter than them. They won't even give a guy a second chance if he's only three inches taller. ("But how will I ever wear heels with him?!") I myself am guilty of thinking this exact thought. Have we also been conditioned to assume taller men are more able to take care of this than shorter men? Or is it simply part of natural selection? If he's taller, it's probably easier for him to kill a mammoth.
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ReplyDeleteWell when talking about the size of women you need to remeber when this was written. Women in the '30s were not as worried about being skinny as the girls today. Actually it was quite the opposite. Curvy women were extremely saught after since society still worked upon the idea that plumpness equaled wealth. Furthermore when speaking of the men, height is very often associated with intimidation. Their jobs, as alpha males, in "A Brave New World" is to command and supervise lower caste citizens, intimidation could only help.
ReplyDeleteI think most women feel that they need their men to bring a certain type of protection. Some think that the tall, muscular athlete could be the best fit, while some think the average sized, sensitive type will do. In reality, it all depends on what your specific type is.
ReplyDeleteI believe we've been conditioned to believe that taller men are better. Our concepts of beauty have been conditioned through the media and society. As soon as we were old enough to watch T.V, we've been seeing shows where the tall man and the skinny woman are most attractive. It's only natural for a child to grow up believing this is true.
ReplyDeleteI, myself, try to put personality first. Then his appearance is what would intrigue me next. Let's be honest, if we aren't attracted to the person we would not spend the time getting to know him. I may not accomplish this everytime, but it's a start. For example, last year I met this guy who was not the most attractive guy in the room but, who was the politest guy I have ever met!It's true, we see well built and tall men and skinny woman on T.V, like Lauren stated, although I still believe it's the inside that counts. Will our world be perfect until everybody thinks this way? Who knows. Also, maybe what's "cute" to one person may not be the same as another.
ReplyDeleteI think it's more so about the more dominant characteristics women want in a spouse. Most girls aren't into guys that they can easily have control over. However, in Brave New World it seemed as though the women came onto men more then men came on the women which is something I see a lot of today and will ellaborate on in a thred.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I don't meet many guys shorter than me:) we are undeniably conditioned to think taller men are better than shorter ones. There is no good explanation for why they are supposed to be more attractive, we are just told they are. We see the image of tall, attractive men everywhere, but their are some rebels to this "rule". For example, 5ft 10.5in Nicole Kidman, towers over her husband, Keith Urban, but still confidently wears heels, which is refreshing to see.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, tall men are just tall, no personality. Meanwhile shorter guys have more personality and are more outgoing. Perhaps they feel pressured to make up for their height because they are not that stereotypical perception of beauty.
This is true because of what the message of being beautiful is about. Tall, skinny, basically flawless and like it is said that what matters is what is inside not on the outside, looks are just a plus.
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