The number of people in our society who place an exorbitant amount of value on the physical appearance of themselves — and of others — is overwhelming. When developing an opinion of someone, their appearance should be among the last things considered. Yet, judging someone based on their physical allure is unavoidable; the idea that “looks are a factor” is built into us on an integral level.

When an offhanded inquiry is made concerning someone’s attractiveness, it is all too easy to make a claim along these lines: “Since I do not make any judgments based on appearance, I would need a chance to speak with that person before I develop an opinion.”

This response is disingenuous in the sense that every human being makes judgments based on someone’s age, height, weight, hair, eye color and so forth. At the very least, we can attempt to exercise power over these caveman-like characterizations, and be rational about this all too pervasive problem.

Desiring a change in one’s physical identity so as to more closely resemble an unrealistic standard of beauty — that Hollywood-esque look, if you will — is an abhorrent aspiration. Dozens of magazines exist solely to tell others how to dress, what type of make-up should be used, what kind of purses or shoes to buy, or how one should act. There are television shows and networks which exist solely to pursue and propagate meaningless information about the lives of celebrities.

The styles of famous celebrities are deemed fashionable for, as far as I can discern, arbitrary reasons. These people are celebrated beacons of humanity, not for their acting skills — and I use “skills” hesitantly — but for their hunky muscles or big boobs. The dictum, “form follows function” goes unheeded in this world of falsehood.

Consider the individuals responsible for the creation of a movie. I would wager that a scant percentage of the country’s television viewers are able to name who wrote this month’s blockbuster. How about one writer from a favorite television show? I will admit, I myself can only come up with a couple names in response to these questions. Yet without writers, media as we know it would cease to exist. Nearly every word spoken, nearly every syllable uttered in a movie, authored by a scriptwriter.

We should be aggravated by how the mass media dictates what is or is not aesthetically pleasing, and for not devoting a copious amount of time to crediting the brilliant writers. It an egregious shame that the real skill in the world is virtually ignored.

Think about the degree of effort people put forth to augment what is essentially a facade; it’s maddening. A preponderance of the women I have met believe it is prudent to wear, what I would consider, an unnecessary amount of make-up.

I am not criticizing the use of cosmetics for artistic purposes, like theatre; but for everyday activities, make-up is superfluous. Breasts or lips that have been enlarged by way of surgery are repulsive, and quite frankly disgust me on a fundamental level. 

I will be forever perplexed at the length of time some girls spend before they consider themselves prepared for the day. I appreciate good hygiene, but how are expensive sprays, polish, and other types of goop justified?

A weakly rooted self-esteem means you let the adverse thoughts of others adjust your actions; wearing cosmetics often points to a lack in any real self-esteem. If it makes you feel better to wear make-up, consider why it does. Is it because you have been brainwashed into conforming to a subjective and ultimately capricious standard of beauty? Why inflict yourself with that anxiety?

Gentlemen, everything above applies to you equally. Costly apparel, inordinate hair styles — and I have met more than a few men who put far too much value into being able to bench press more than the next guy.

Obedience to this notion is unreservedly preposterous; consider the type of person who would want to date a guy solely because he is considered good-looking, or because he puts forth an effort to assert his physical dominance. Perhaps he will not cry in the face of extreme pain or sorrow; such a “man” would be an emotional automaton. Priorities arranged in this manner points to a lack of substance.

Superficial fabrication of one’s appearance propagates deception. Physical appearance should not be considered when developing an opinion of someone, or yourself. We should be concerned with someone’s convictions, whether they strongly adhere to them or not, why those convictions are adhered to, and whether that person has a forward-thinking, inquisitive and open-mind. The substance of character mightily supersedes the imperative of style.