I have noticed a trend lately that I find more than disturbing. I’ll lead gently into describing it by giving you a few buzzwords that exemplify the trend: “The Optics of the situation”, “I’d hit that”, “This person is too ugly to win this”.
First let me say that study after study has confirmed on an unconscious level attractive people get better treatment, promotions, and pay in our society. The operative words here are “On an unconscious level”, meaning we commit an act without really being aware that this is what we are doing. But lately I have noticed a trend where we have moved from the unconscious into the very conscious and deliberate arena.
I say that following all the negative remarks seen on Twitter regarding Marion Bartoli’s win at Wimbledon with one commenter very boldly stating “She is to ugly to rape”. And, the British announcer stating that she was “no Sharapova” and as such had to become more aggressive to win. His was a double slap because he verbally abused Bartoli for not being pretty enough to win, then gave Sharapova a backhand slap by diminishing her work ethic and implying that she won simply because she is pretty. Talent and hard work had nothing to do with the win, looks was the determining factor in where the tennis balls landed. Never mind that Andy Murray, the male winner, would not be considered a male model. I guess he was OK to rape.
The proverbial “I’d hit that” is specifically in the male domain where everything that a woman does is judged by her ability to incite the male response of sexual excitement. That thinking has always been with us I’m sad to say, but it is the feeling that it is socially acceptable to voice it that is troubling. The stereotypical impression of an image troll is a man in his late teens or early 20s, but thirty something women and men in their 60s have been caught trolling in this manner as well. I’m not calling for censorship but simply for those using it to give pause to the crude nature of their remarks. Sort of, would you “hit” your mother?
Now, that same thinking has slowly seeped into all aspects of our daily lives from politics and public relations on down. More and more you hear or read about the “optics” of a situation, not that appearance based thinking exists, but that it is a perfectly acceptable criteria to apply to every situation and especially where women are concerned.
What generated this rant was a recent article in my local newspaper regarding the possible corruption connection to the Florida State Attorney General Pam Bondi. A photo of Ms. Bondi accompanied the article and without fail someone mentioned “She is simple too pretty to be involved in political corruption.” And, our ole friend “I’d hit that” was not far behind. What is so very worrying about the “optics” of the situation is that if everything is based simply on what we see or how it appears, then we are surely headed back to believing that the earth is flat, I really don’t have to know science, just look the part; or finally Ted Bundy couldn’t have killed all those people, he was simply too handsome! Draw your own conclusions…