There are a lot of people out there who are considered attractive because of their… uniqueness.  But quite frankly (and perhaps a bit harshly), they often just look strange.  Somehow the strangeness is then interpreted as beauty.

photo credit: thecrazydiamond on flickr

Take supermodels, for example.  They’re probably the best cross-section to look at.  These are people who look unusual, uncommon, and admired for that.  But on the streets if you saw them outside of a photo shoot, they may just look odd.  Once you put on the heavy make-up and strange garb, then put them in a foreign world, the oddity of their surroundings blends with the oddity of their awkwardly large forehead, tiny pointed nose, or a number of other abnormal features.  It’s the same reasoning in Memoirs of a Geisha, where the girl with gray eyes turns heads wherever she goes.  That’s also why people with blue eyes and brown hair make people notice them.  They are out of the ordinary.

Today I noticed Anderson Cooper, whose full head of white hair contrasts his otherwise youthful appearance.  That, in a way, makes him attractive.  It’s different, it’s unusual, and it’s eye-catching.  My mom always said that Tyra Banks’ forehead is both what makes her attractive to people, yet also the very thing that makes her unattractive.  And to me, the same goes for Angelina Jolie and her lips.  They are so big they look swollen and there’s that crack along the middle that reminds me of when I get chapped lips.  To me, there’s nothing attractive about them, but to the rest of world… that seems to be a whole other story.  The same goes for so-called “hotties” like Brad Pitt and Matt Damon – I don’t see why people like them so much.  Bulging muscles and facial hair are not my thing.

Really it just comes down to being set apart from the crowd.  That’s what gets you attention.  And to justify that attention, I think that people need to come up with a reason to explain their sometimes intense fascination.  So what do they come up with?  “Of course I’m only this interested because that person must be attractive.”  Of course.  -___-