The Cover Ain't Important
60The world is talking about Susan Boyle after she appeared on a Talent Show in Britain. For those who didn’t see the show, this 47 year old, somewhat overweight and homely looking lady, turned the competition on its head when she walked on that stage and said that her dream was to be as good a singer as Elaine Paige. There was some loud sniggering in the audience, but she gamely continued with her introduction. Susan’s very broad, Manchester accent, a little rough around the edges…as someone described it, had people judging her in the first 30 seconds. The judgment was quick and merciless. She had no talent... what was she doing on that stage.
Now what really surprises me is that all of us know that looks have nothing to do with singing talent. In India, most of our movies have lots of songs, which the film stars belt out with gay abandon, while skipping over hills and fording streams….with nary a breathless note. While I was growing up and did not know the truth about playback singers, I always marveled at how well all our actors could sing and yet sound so strangely similar. The truth was revealed when I was a teen and I remember being secretly relieved to know that those bosomy beauties, didn’t have everything…glamorous lives, money, looks, acting talent and the ability to sing so well.
Since looks are obviously not needed to make a good singer…I wonder why the audience reacted to Susan the way they did. Was it all scripted? I have heard that audiences are coached to show various emotions which are filmed and then inserted at the producer’s will to create a more startling effect for viewers back home. That particular video of Susan’s is making history as one of the most viewed ones on youtube. The way the audience went from sniggers to stunned silence to a standing ovation touched all those watching. If it was a gimmick, the producers stage managed it very well.
However the story doesn’t end there. I wonder if all of us are somehow conditioned to believe that someone who is good looking is good. Is it to do with the way we are told fairy tales that we tend to hold on to these stereotypes? Remember the lovely Cinderella and her ugly sisters, or Beauty and the Beast? The most popular children’s books today are the Harry Potter series and the characters in them follow the same rule- the wicked are ugly and the good looking, good. Enid Blyton’s characters too if my memory serves me well,followed suit…all the goblins and warlocks were ugly and all the fairies and elves were pretty.
So are we to assume that if someone has warts, bad teeth, acne, and big noses they are mean and evil?Or does it turn out that with every one treating them like they are evil, eventually makes them that way?
Susan Boyle may not be good looking, but she has amazing talent and now that she has been discovered, she will have major record companies, beating a path to her door. However, what about all the other men and women like Susan who do not have talent but are drab, plain, maybe even ugly? Don’t they also deserve respect and to be considered worthy of attention and praise?
How often is it that we judge people by the way they look or by the way they dress? A friend of mine who eats almost nothing has people all the time joking about her weight…she has a thyroid problem. How often have we crossed the street to avoid walking past a group of tattooed long- haired youngsters on their bikes and presumed that they were bad uns.
Yes, we certainly need to look past the cover….
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Comments
Great Hud you can not judge a book by its cover.
I would second Cris. Besides you are right on target when you imply that since childhood this concept is inserted into out minds that good = pretty looking and bad =ugly looking. And since the begining, our value system or social outlook is flawed, this creates a ripple spreading to progenies, family, friends and then to the society in general.
Hats off to everyone who are creating hubs on Susan Boyle and likewise topics. Touche!
Yeah I so agree. Wish I could look past my aging overweight body sigh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sadly, I think it is in our DNA to judge a book by its cover. For example, there are studies that show that women prefer more "manly" features, because from an evolutionary standpoint, aggression, dominance, and strength are a good thing.
Our culture and social media further ingrains this lesson into our psyche.
That is not to say that we shouldn't try to combat this within ourselves, but it is extremely difficult to do. Truthfully, I enjoy watching Brad Pitt, and much of it has nothing to do with his acting skills :)
A friend of mine introduced me to the Susan Boyle video just a few days ago. It made me almost weep. And I had to ask myself, what have I missed, or will I miss, when I don't slow down enough to see past the cover? What hidden beauty will escape me? What senses and feelings of mine will never be stimulated and elevated, because I rushed on based on an illusion?
Likewise, what have I wrongly assumed because the packaging was stereotypically beautiful, to your point about beautiful actors appearing to have the singing talent as well.
A wonderfully written Hub, dianacharles, loaded with provocative questions. Thumbs up.
My mom was born with a speech impediment, and as a result, was tormented a lot through school. It didn't stop her from being a straight A student, but it did force her to quit school in the 10th grade. This is not to say she didn't have friends, she did, and lots of them. Everyone who knew my mom loved her, adults as well as children. She taught me to never judge a book by its cover, and my guess is because she knew how it felt to be judged. If you care to you can read about her in one of my hubs.
I think that was one of the greatest gifts she gave me. The packaging means nothing. I truly feel sorry for those who shunned her, because they missed a remarkable woman who would do anything for anyone. Her heart was that big. I also credit my grandparents for seeing her through her trials and tribulations. Oh, and yes, at the age of 53, she went back to school and got her diploma. We had a huge party for her and the smile on her face was priceless.
Susan Boyle is definitely a star, and anyone with any brains can see that and appreciate her gift to the world, because, in my opinion, she is a gift.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Chris...yes, I too hope stereotyping does the vanishing trick and soon.
Thank you Williamjordan for stopping by to read and comment :)
nazishnasim...hadnt realised what a popular topic this one was, until I saw your comment and checked on a couple of other hubs on the same topic.It looks like a lot of people were not only moved by her singing, but also by the stereotyping.
hahaa...ritu...the idea was for others to look past YOUR aging body, but I suppose it could work both ways.
Yes, I too have read that Aya.Evolution has dictated some of our reactions, but as you said, we must try to eliminate the ones which dont help us be better people. I too like Brad Pitt...for the same reasons ;)
Thank you Sally....and as usual you put it so beautifully and succintly.
Thank you trish for that heartwarming story. I will be going shortly to your hub to read about your mum. Thanks for reading and commenting.
By nature we are a judgemental species...we make assumptions based on looks, colour, accent and myriad other superficial things. Very few of us are able to go beyond the superficial, and that's a real tragedy.
It's the stuff fairytales are made of, isn't it - something like this just tugs at your heartstrings. Just goes to show that there really is good in all of us if only we dig deep enough and get rid of the superfluous layers!
Yes, we are judgmental FP...maybe the result of taking part in so many competitions when we were young and believing that first is best...but as Shalini put it...hopefully there is good in all of us and we just have to dig deep. I think the problem is when we are lazy and prefer just looking at the exteriors
I disagree. People are wired to make snap judgements, it's a survival trait. It can also cause us to be wrong. When I saw Susan first step on stage, what I saw was someone who knew she was good and she was going to shock everyone in the audience. That's why she was a bit cheeky with Simon.
What happened was that people didn't look at the entire cover, they saw what they wanted to see. What they saw was an old, overweight, unattractive woman trying to do something that was obviously meant for the young, slender, attractive type.
C&C music factory made this mistake years ago in one of their music videos. Rather than use the vocalist in their video, they had some cute young thin thing lip sync her way through the video. You don't hear much from them anymore.
Fact is, you can't worry about what other people think and do, you have no control over it. What does matter is what you do and how you act. In the end that's all we have control over. Susan knew that and she stunned the audience with her performance.
I was in tears because she could move all those people and it was a wonderful thing. For just a moment I felt that we were all one with the Infinite. It just goes to show that you shouldn't underestimate people, but you have to judge people on what they do. That's key.
Yes, we do tend to make snap judgments...a human fallacy. According to the author of Blink...most of those judgments are invariably right.
Blink, wasn't that Malcom Gladwell? If it was he also wrote The Tipping Point, a great book.
A very insightful hub, Di.
You mention how fairy tales harp on the good/bad- lovely/ugly duality and human tendencies to judge a book by it's cover, and to believe that the boldest , brightest and most expensive packaging must obviously hold the best commodity.
However, most fairy tales also try to point out that the ugly 'Beast' or the 'Frog' Prince, in spite of being outwardly displeasing have an inner beauty, and ultimately it is the goodness of one's heart/spirit that shines through, and surpasses mere pettiness and shallowness....
We can only lead by example, so that the younger generation grows up knowing that beauty is really only skin deep, and that what ultimately triumphs is the beauty of Spirit....
Am enjoying your hubs very much Di.....:-)
True Rashmi, but the frog turns back into a handsome Prince; the ugly Beast turns back also into a Prince...which goes to say, only if you are good looking you can be accepted. I would have preferred if the Beast had remained ugly and that Beauty accepted him, inspite of his ugliness, since she saw beyond the cover, to his beautiful heart, which was more important.
dianacharles, isn't that what makes people beautiful? Their heart? Isn't that truly why people fell in love with Susan. It's given to few to be able to do what she does and that is a precious and beautiful thing in this world of tears.
dianacharles thank you so very much for this hub and video link. I had not gotten to hear Susan sing, and it was all so beautiful. That is perfectly what your hub is based upon, and it was wonderful to see Susan have her loveliest of moments. Keep us posted on what she continues to do please. Thank you!
Sure frogyfish. Thank you for stopping by. I think the whole world is waiting to see what Susan makes of herself and how much she changes in the process.
I Liked your Hub .. I loved the way she stated exactly what she intended to do & then went out and did Better!!
The only drawback to your hub dianacharles is The LONG Line of comments takes ages to get to .. lol Good Stuff.
aaah..Pearldiver if you think my list of comments is long, you should check out some of the other hubbers...they have more than a hundred comments.
Cris A says:
8 months ago
I agree with you totally. A person's worth should not judged according to stereotypes. Stereotyping should be relegated to the back burner, it should have no place in modern society where every man is as worthy as the next man. Other than being a spectacle, I hope people will take Ms Boyle's story as a wakeup call. Thanks for sharing this insightful hub :D