update: September 12, 2005

Oh Don't Give Me That La Rochefoucauldian Look!

In discussions among musicians, I have remained befuddled whenever the derogatory phrase ear candy is used to dismiss a musical passage. Usually, the genre in question would be either pop or dance music. What's wrong with ear candy? The ear obviously wants what sounds good. Not so, says a select few who have opted for a "developed taste," as if banging your head against a wall can earn a torch of nobility in suffering for someone else's art . Can "ear bile" be considered a reasonable alternative that can somehow grace a piece of work with greater snob appeal? I've never heard French chefs congratulate each other over their ability to dish out a Pendereckian Soufflé. And how bad could one's silhouette be violated while trying to sneak a Cagean Ortolan under a napkin?

This amusement inevitably led me to think about beautiful people, and how unbeautiful protesters have a tendency to complain about the"eye candy" good looks of their nemesis. We whine that worshipers would otherwise not suffer everyday people with beautiful needs. But isn't that the whole point of being beautiful? Had it not been for special rewards being conditionally distributed by the aesthete, there'd be no multi-million dollar industry in snake poison, magic potions, fashion police makeovers, Brazilian nip-and-tucks, and the most popular item on the menu this fall: number 26, The Mischa Barton bolt-on mug.

Now we come to disaster relief charity drives, where beauty is utilized for the best possible cause. Form meets function, where all those years of red-carpet posturing, Enquirer-story-harvesting, paparazzi-film-loading are finally put to practical employment.

I don't see anyone complaining about good looks being rewarded now, unless we are all to believe that folks should remain hungry and shelterless just so equality can prevail over lookism. Anyone will agree that a couple of hundred thousand dollars to charity for a date with Paris Hilton will do more good than a fifty dollar pledge to Pauly Shore.

I'm beginning to think that beauty is hailed the breadwinner of the day when there are no personal loss involved, but demonized thoroughly, when those with facial bias get their romantic speculations shredded.

All these observations are drawn, it should be noted, from my conversations with beautiful people, who have, as an act of charity, allowed me into their circle for a brief moment of investigation.  

©2005 Pristine Ann Gee

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August 19: :  How We Became So Noisy

August 10, 2005 :   The Art of Movie Warfare

July 20, 2005 :   Online Dating Is Wrong?