I came across a really beautiful lady while doing a google image search

[The Straight Story]

Here is her picture - followed by the AD on the right side of the page.

See this page for whole story:
http://www.examiner.com/a-198373~Baltimore_group_joins_in_events_for_homeless.html

(Arianne Starnes/For The Examiner)
Community volunteer Donna May works with the homeless and low-income individuals Thursday to help register for voting as part of National Homeless and Low-Income Voter Registration Day in Baltimore.



From a screen capture (was flash I think so I could not right click and post location, so saved it and put on my server):



We got one lady up there who is giving of her time freely to help others, then we have others who are getting paid nicely to show off their legs and asses. It's America, so I am fine if they want to do so.

However - my real concern is about how most people perceive/value/desire these two items we have above. Are we simply driving a market by being overly shallow (some shallow moments are fine with me...)? I think perhaps, sadly, the market is terribly tipped on the scales here to one side, and starts feeding off of itself and creating more of the same market.

Are those legs nice? Yeah baby :) but the real beauty, the one that will last, is of that wonderful woman who is volunteering to help others. She won't get fame, fortune, be on magazine covers. The market is all visual and the consumers want to only see things a certain way.

While the real beauty in the world gets kicked to the curb, the skin of the day gets all the press.

Here is group of beautiful people that will do more for the lives of others than some bikini clad beer ad person will do (why of why do we put so much pressure on kids to grow up to be am Image?? Be someone, be yourself, accept yourself - you ARE beautiful!):

Book Sale Volunteers, July 4, 2005
http://www.towandalibrary.org/Volunteers.htm

[hlthe2b]

1. I agree.... I only wish I could wave a wand and make more

Americans similarly enlightened....:shrug:

[The Straight Story]

2. Yeah, me too.

The stress it puts on people at a young age to look like a barbie doll is truly sad.

Sure, we all like looking at things we see as beautiful - mountains, streams, trees, each other. But life is about more, and a healthy balance is a good thing.

How we get that balance, well I was hoping you could tell me :)

[JuniperLea]

6. Barbie...

Did you know she now has a "hot tub party bus"?



<>



So, not only do little girls want to look like Barbie, but they will want to whore around like Barbie too!


:shrug:


Beauty is as beauty does.

Beauty is only skin deep; ugly goes to the bone.

We were all "hotties" at 21... the real test is when you are still loved by your family, admired by your friends, needed by your children and society, and wanted as the gang hangs out when your lovely lady lumps and the junk in your trunk succumb to gravity.

We need to remember how to grow old gracefully, or we are going to grow old very bitterly.

[MADem]

3. American culture sells looks. Other cultures do as well.

Look at Bollywood--they take the 'culture of beauty' to the max, as do many of the Spanish language telenovelas and variety shows.

It's nice to focus on what really matters every now and again, but the media will compete for your time and attention with beauty and bare skin.

[The Straight Story]

5. I don't expect it to change really

I just hope it can be balanced by things.

I don't know the answer, but it does not prevent me from seeing the problem :)

[hsher]

4. Thank you

As a woman, I thank you for this beautiful post. You've made my day.

PS, the day we women start all looking like Barbie to please men will be the day all men start acting like Buddha to please us. ;)

[shadowknows69]

10. Who would want a Barbie Doll?

They're not even anatomically correct? :evilgrin:

[City of Mills]

7. So many problems in this world

Can be attributed to the human eye.

Let us all be blind for a week and see how our values change.

[The Straight Story]

9. That would indeed be something....(nt)

[NJCher]

8. I think a lot of people see through it

FWIW, the number one topic for female students in my college writing courses is about the pressure to conform to these advertising images.




Cher

[AIJ Alom]

11. Trust me on this one, a lot is a minority in this case, only 1% of the world's

population is college educated and the education you are receiving is 1% of that one 1%(think of Thursday night on campus). I met a future Assistant District Attorney, highly educated, beautiful looks, appeared on a game show. Yet she had one significant flaw and that was to conform to society's proper weight for a young woman. The poor thing has her weight fluctuate 50 pounds, and frankly she is beautiful regardless or even in between.

[NJCher]

19. problem-o

Yeah, fine, but the only people being brainwashed in this fashion are Americans. Look at British TV. Those people actually look normal. As I am sure you are well aware, television in other countries does not serve the brainwashing function that it does here.

The only other people (that I'm aware of) who are such fanatics about physical appearance are some of the So. American countries (Brazil comes to mind).

So really, the 1% factor you're citing is not relevant. We're only talking about college-educated people in dysfunctional, sick, capitalism-gone-berserk countries like the U.S.




Cher

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

12. So true...

My best friend in the world is a young woman of Algerian descent and French citizenship. She is a genuine beauty - luxurious, curly dark brown hair, lithe and supple, shapely figure, and that indescribable bronzish color characteristic of the Amizagh of North Africa... "Golden apples of the Sun..." She is a babe, lusted after by pretty much 100% of the guys and a few of the women on the Slopes.

But the quality that endears her to her friends is her kindness and dedication to the poor and underprivileged - especially children. She had a very difficult youth, and was taken from her irresponsible, self-centered mother at age 7. Raised by the State, she has scraped and struggled to overcome the developmental deficit that is her inheritance, and has dedicated her life to the care of children who, like herself, grew up in the most appalling conditions one can imagine.

She volunteers to aid refugees and the poor in her own community, and dreams of working in far-off places, helping orphans and the cast-off, destitute, and downtrodden.

I tell her, and my friends, that the world may in the future remember that she was a hottie, but they will admire and respect her for her great heart and single-minded devotion to the cause she believes in.

[The Straight Story]

14. Truly wonderful story

Tis sad at times to me that so many try to stretch their looks beyond their age, spending many thousands of dollars on vanity, yet often doing little else to grow their inner beauty.

That is not to say people are 'bad' or too vain to care about others (and some do both better than I do either), it just seems to be a disturbing trend which tosses up a small flag that maybe society is traveling a bit down the wrong path in it's values.

And while your friend may make some man (or woman) very happy one day, she has already made many many others very happy by her inner goodness. Eye candy can rot the brain like real candy rots your teeth, but both are irresistible :)

[applegrove]

13. I could tell by the way you posted it would be someone special. And she is.

[Ksec]

15. Excellent post

Thanks for reminding me what real beauty looks like.

[Martin Eden]

16. God gave me Gonads

so my eyes will naturally go right to those legs.

God also gave me a heart and a brain, so after fantasizing briefly about the body in the short shorts & high heels I will read about the beautiful human being who contributes so much more to my well-being and that of my country. Her beauty will stay with me longer than any salacious photograph.



disclaimer:
I'm actually agnostic on the question of whether my attributes are a divine gift; it's just that God and Gonads made for a nifty subject title.

[Joanne98]

17. Image is everything. The soul is BANNED from discussion....

Didn't you get the memo?

[philosophie_en_rose]

18. That is an adorable person! (love the Dewayne Wayne glasses)

Jessica Simpson is just not attractive, however. :bounce:

[tomreedtoon]

20. Donna May seems to be enjoying life. Does Simpson?

Does Simpson ever look like she's having fun? I think Simpson's expression says "You stinky men don't deserve to look at me. Go buy me something." 'Nuff said.