Survival of the Prettiest

 

“Many intellectuals would have us believe that beauty is inconsequential… it should not have a place in intellectual discourse. And we are supposed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. After all, the concept of beauty has become an embarrassment.

But there is something wrong with this picture. Outside the realm of ideas, beauty rules. Nobody has stopped looking at it, and no one has stopped enjoying the sight…We can say that beauty is dead, but all that does is widen the chasm between the real world and our understanding of it.”

 

“‘I don’t feel less because I’m in the presence of a beautiful person. I dont go, oh, I’ll never be that beautiful! What a ridiculous attitude to take! …When men look at sports, when they look at football, they don’t go, oh, I’ll never be that fast!, I’ll never be that strong!’ -Camille Paglia”

 

 “Appearance is the most public part of the self. It is our sacrament, the visible self that the world assumes to be a mirror of the invisible, inner self.”

 

“Attitudes toward beauty are entwined with our deepest conflicts surrounding flesh and spirit.”