Monday, January 28, 2008
Alice Walker's Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self
I thought that the essay was interesting because it focused mainly on physical beauty. I was pretty sure that it would be a piece of writing that dwelled on inner beauty and the ways that it manifests itself, instead of the other way around. It was a bit of a surprise to me, but I found it more appealing and honest because of it. I'm sure that if I found myself in her situation, I would probably react the same way. Considering the power of the media and the western ideal of beauty, it's not surprising that many people value physical beauty over less tangible qualities, and seek to judge others based on such things. At least this essay acknowledged the reality of that judgment. Sure, we all knew that the story would end happily, but at least it was truthful about the journey.
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This is a good point--we often expect to see something extolling the virtues of "inner beauty" because this is what people often tell us (especially when we're growing up), yet the absolute barrage of media imagery and advertising we come under each day proves otherwise. Physical beauty is incredibly important, and she is pretty up front about acknowledging this understanding within herself. While some may see this as superficial, I think you make a good point that she's being honest--and it's that honesty that makes people uncomfortable, because even though they know deep down that we all place great emphasis on beauty, no one likes to actually say it out loud :)
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