We all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To many, the Eiffel Tower is an architectural and engineering masterpiece, whilst to others it is a blot on the Parisian skyline. For some, Picasso’s daubings are works to be treasured and worshipped. Others find his cubism remote and unattractive. Mozart was an undoubted genius, but apparently there are those who would rather listen to a Bohemian Rhapsody than his Rhapsody in Blue.
Obviously the human form can also attract and repel in equal measure, although there is the magnificent minority who appear beautiful to all. I guess most of those who feature on the silver screen fit that category. So what’s a good way to define beauty in people? Those that are as attractive naked as clothed is probably quite a good measure. I also like the concept of front-on compared with in profile. How often do you see a man or woman for the first time from the side and think “wow they’re rather lovely”, only to see them full frontal and be deeply disappointed? In women, it often has to do with a fine bone structure, beautifully coiffed hair, unsullied skin, sparkling (probably blue!) eyes and voluptuous lips. I don’t feel entirely qualified to define male beauty but the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Roger Federer seem to have it, judging from my wife’s sudden interest in Wimbledon whenever the Swiss star is on court.
You might wonder why I’m musing on the subject. I’m not really sure myself, other than perhaps because I have just returned from a week in Kenya and a week in Kuala Lumpur, where we were surrounded by an extraordinary number of beautiful people. You must forgive me if I wax lyrical about the women, but I am a heterosexual and I tend to notice them rather more. As I mentioned in a previous blog there are forty two different tribes in Kenya but there is a lot of cross-pollination now and they really are a very beautiful people. Likewise the Malay women who have a totally different appearance and skin texture, but many of them are eye-wateringly beautiful too. I would say in both cases, the percentage of stunning women is much higher than is to be found on the high streets of Britain.
We are subjected to beauty and ugliness in every walk of life, not least language. It’s quite scary how rapidly and significantly our mother tongue is being bastardised and “developed”, with the dreaded social media having a significant impact. But America has a lot to answer for too. I remember the first time I went there thirty years or so ago, I was appalled at how people would respond to the greeting “how are you” with “good thanks”. For years I wanted to reply, “I don’t think you’re qualified to judge that, leave it to the Almighty. I think you mean ‘well’ “. Now I find I say it all the time and hate myself for the linguistic idleness. Going out with my first (actually only) American girlfriend she’d go into a shop and say “could I GET a coffee please”, (At least she said please!) when she meant could she HAVE a coffee. Now I do it all the time too. Yuk! I found it quite easy to forgive her though as she was very beautiful…..in fact doubly so; she had an identical twin and they really were hard to tell apart, even after I’d been sleeping with one for some time! (At least I think it was one…?)
Sports commentators have destroyed another really good and specific word. Decent used to describe an honest, hard-working, straightforward, principled person. What a useful word. But there were many ex-professional commentators like the England cricketer Geoff Boycott who had a very high opinion of themselves and were reluctant to heap too much praise on the modern player, so rather than it being a “good shot” or even a “great shot” it became a rather condescending “decent shot”, meaning it was OK but not in the same class as something I might have done.
I am writing this sitting in our potentially very attractive garden (the destructive work is complete, creativity now required!) as the sun heads for the horizon encased in a cloudless blue sky, a chorus of frisky birds filling the otherwise silent air with an extraordinary cacophony of serenades as they seek their springtime mates. Now that really is beautiful.
ADayInTheStrifeOf 