In episode 77 we're digging into Uncomfortable Truth #4!
UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS: There are some “facts of life” that unnerve us. Dynamics that we navigate or contribute to, that when unpacked, are uncomfortable to sit with and resolve internally. Realities that, in the light, aren't so bright. Two Wise Jawns will be exploring these TRUTHS over the course of the next few episodes. Buckle in, we’re getting UNCOMFORTABLE!
UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH du jour: You're Probably Not Beautiful
What is beauty? It is the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit; exciting/arousing aesthetic pleasure.
Hm. In today's episode, we level-set and honor the divergent experiences of those across the beauty spectrum. From those who absolutely align with "the beauty standard" to those who meet "the status quo" and to those who are many deviations below what "aesthetically titillates" the masses.
Where you fall on that spectrum absolutely affects your level of desirability, not only in romantic entanglements but also in friendships, in professional opportunities, in your everyday experience receiving smiles on the street, or feeling utterly invisible to everyone with whom you interact.
These intersections of beauty liaise racism, to featurism, to hair texture-ism, to colorism, to what "Black Pillers" of the manosphere have coined as "lookism," to ableism, to fatphobia, to height-ism, and to all in-between.
"nah. ugly has always been a violent construct. Those deemed as ugly are oppressed people. So dark skinned people, Disabled people, disfigured/burnt people, little people etc. Ugly people have been subjected to state sanctioned violence including the death penalty" -- @obaa_boni/Twitter
We're seemingly on pulse as David Brooks of the New York Times recently published an article, "Why is it okay to be mean to the ugly?"
Short answer: It is not. But, hold on tight we're going to explore why it happens! And perhaps, the privileges associated with being "pretty/handsome."
HOT TOPICS:
- Biden signs Juneteenth bill in the midst of a quarter of the country's states canceling the study of "critical race theory" ...hm.
- NBA Playoffs -- damn you Sixers!
- High on the Hog documentary series on Netflix detailing the history of African American foodways and cuisine is fantastic.
- Supreme Court vs. Philadelphia vs. Catholic Adoption Agency vs. Gay Rights
- In The Heights has unnerved the Afro-Latino Black-Latino community.
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is OBSCENE! And the voice for those who have been "canceled." One day the Two Wise Jawns will duel her and Candance Owens in a "Black girl hot take-off"!
* We inadvertently refer to Akwaeke Emezi as she/her on the episode. We want to acknowledge that their pronouns are they/them.
* Also, if you happen to listen Demi Lovato... sorry as well!
Recorded Thursday, June 17, 2021.
