So this article was posted recently and since I recently graduated from BYU, it was posted by many friends on facebook. Colleges Where Students are Hot and Smart 2013 I actually didn't like this so-called survey since it had no scientific basis and because of the methods involved. The survey is based on calling students and getting their opinions of the campus' level of hotness. This would be fine if it was looking for individual opinions and not using unverified opinions as research data. Beauty or hotness is not something that can be qualified because "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" as the old saying goes. And if it can't be defined, it can't be quantified. So what does this survey tell us? This tells us that the people called from BYU are
1. Very enthusiastic about their campus
2. Good at lying
3. or delusional.
This may seem mean because we do believe that every person is a child of God and that they have infinite worth, but this survey is wrong (I hope). I think all people do have worth, but beauty is not equivalent to worth. "Hotness" is something that society has dictated to have value. The fact that the person quoted in the article said that "Everyone at BYU is very attractive; I've yet to see an ugly person here" makes me wonder if people who aren't attractive are invisible to her. Was I invisible to her? There is the argument that she was talking about inner beauty, but if so she shouldn't have gone on to describe physical appearance. She actually went on to describe a dress code we have at the school that may constitute "beauty" in her mind, but it is her own interpretation of it if that is so. That would be the delusional aspect of my three points - that people pretend ugly people don't exist, don't want to see them, or have created their own definition of a word.
The methods of the survey tend to favor those campus students called who don't have any ugly people on campus, which is a lie. There are people everywhere who do not meet the world's standards of beauty. I think they are just as worthy of the best in life, but why do we feel that we need to call people beautiful? I'm not beautiful. I'm cute on my better days (which is the only time I allow pictures to be taken). Why do people feel the need to lie about students being beautiful? It is because our society has put such a high value on beauty that we want to make sure everyone has this value? Beauty by society's standards is not something I think should be valued above honesty and telling the truth. But I will admit that beauty has a very high value at BYU, as in the rest of the world to the point that someone would feel it necessary to lie because she is afraid of truly examining her love of beauty as opposed to looking at ugly people who are just as worthy and full of value as anyone, not dependent on society's standards.
As a religious institution, we believe in having different standards from society and this survey worries me because there are ugly people on BYU campus. It bothers me that people would be more concerned about beauty than telling the truth (which is part of a code of honor at our school in addition to our dress code). As much as the world wants us to value beauty, it is fleeting. Honesty is forever.
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2 comments:
Your post makes me sad. I think the survey was just silly fun, and I didn't even read it. However, some of your comments made me really think about the importance people place on their own appearance and how it influences the way they relate to others.
If you feel like people sometimes look over you, make sure it's not you who have stepped back from society. The way you feel about yourself really can build a wall between you and other people. I know this from experience.
There is a lot more to beauty than physical appearance and attractiveness can change a lot when you get to know someone. Let people get to know you! Share those things that make you happy. I really applaud your bravery in being a blogger, but I think you can do more in person. Please put yourself out there and live life. Even if the photos won't be perfect!
Like I said, I know this from experience. I usually avoid things because I don't feel pretty. Other people don't feel that way about me. It's all me and my own fears that hold me back from being beautiful.
I have know several people who live in such a positive way that they can always see something beautiful about the any person they meet. They may not always have strait teeth, and nice skin, and perfect bodies, but they are always beautiful. I want to be one of those people.
Ronald -
Having read your post, I understand your points, but we live in a world that will always put a very high value on beauty (real or manufactured). Don't worry about me! I'm quite social and am very happy I am not beautiful. It's made me a better person than I would be. I've expressed these opinions louder and more vociferously in person! I'm proud to be not-beautiful because I know I am of infinite worth and how the world judges me does not enter into it. Beauty does not change who I am as an incredible human being and I hope by not being beautiful I am able to relate more to others.
Love yourself and don't be afraid of people. People are probably the most wonderful part of life.
The beauty you are talking about is not what the survey is measuring. That type of inner beauty or the ability to see good in others is not the aesthetic quality of "hotness" the survey is emphasizing. As much as I would prefer the term "beauty" to have no connection to the outward aesthetic self, it does. I have read all the various quotes from all the universities listed and frankly after hearing about the glorification of personal appearance over qualities that last (like a positive outlook on life, humor, friendliness, a wonderful laugh, compassion, and so many others), I was not happy my undergraduate institution was #1. It may have been just a joke, but many people I know expressed pride from such an accomplishment. I worry at the value we place and societally continue to place on beauty. This is a value that exists outside of personality and it affects people in the real world. A study done two years ago showed that attractive people earn 3-4% more than unattractive people. I don't like this statistic, but it is true. The world is a sad place. I don't like it and I would rather people not be proud of a trait that is genetically given to them and that is not a marker of their personality or who they really are.
This post is a reaction to a systemic valuation of a standard of hotness perpetuated by media and society that I think BYU should try to work against. I can understand people saying all their friends are beautiful, but to have never seen an ugly person on campus is neither real nor true. The very fact that the existence of not beautiful people should be hidden appalls me. Instead of trying to make everyone on campus beautiful to boost our school's reputation, I think we should say everyone on campus is an individual and important and special in their own right with a diversity of skills and wonderful attributes. This is a survey that is glorifying personal beauty above worth of individuals, and I wish my alumna student body had not been blindly proud of achieving recognition based on the standards of the rest of the world. I wish they had revolted against personal appearance being valued so highly.
Beauty is a complex word. I wish the inner beauty of individuals was what we were being judged on here. It wasn't. I want to revolt against the value system that values me first for my appearance before it gets to know my other values. But I know I live in the real world, where researchers commonly find that people associate attractiveness with goodness, kindness, and happiness. This isn't true, which is why I think we should start to question and change our values. So instead of changing a hegemonic value system, I write this post to make people rethink the emphasis we (as members of our society) blindly give to outward beauty as opposed to honesty and inward goodness.
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