Do looks ruin perception of talent?

[Trill Co$by]

Ok so I was answering the "Criticizing" series for Trish and as I started to reply about how people say she's the best cause she's hot I began to realize that it's not just for Trish or Wrestling that people confuse looks with actual talent.

For example, there is no way Ke$ha is as talented as everyone says she is. The only thing she has for her is her looks. I love her, I do, but in the end it's the looks that gets her noticed because she surely has no talent. On the flip side of that Susan Boyle is one of the best singers in the world and yet people don't see that... All they see is some woman who isn't attractive.

In movies, the women love Johnny Depp. He's the eye candy women go crazy for and buy tickets for. But in the end it's not to see his acting skills, it's to see his body. Men are the same way with damn near every Megan Fox movie, or a Cameron Dias movie. They're both horrible actresses but men love their bodies so we go see them.

In modern days, it's not what your talents are that get you popular... It's what you look like, and for you to be in an area where you're not as talented as you think you are, is it kind of ruined that you're there because of your looks and not the actual talent? I guess a simple question for it is, do looks ruin modern perception of talent.

 

[LSN80]

It depends on what avenue of life youre going down. In order to make it in the pop industry, you have to have the looks and the sex appeal. Susan Boyle singing "hit me baby one more time" wouldn't have worked. Im not being a jerk, its just the reality that we live in. She could not have pulled that off, nor could she do a Ke$ha song, at least the music video part. And I dread Ke$sha, and its four minutes of my life I can never get back when I flipped on VH1 one day and saw one of her videos.

In the good old world of Sex drugs and rock n roll, it doesnt matter quite as much. Shawn Morgan from Seether is an ugly Mofo, but he and Seether have been wildly successful. Because in that genre of music looks may matter to some degree, but not nearly as much as they do in the pop/hip hop/rap genre. You want to be a professional athlete, and play NFL football? Run the 40 faster then everyone else, run great routes, and catch the ball when thrown your way and noone will care a lick about your looks. That's talent and reality trumping perception.

When it comes down to it, what really matters what career field you want to explore. But most mainstream "jobs" require you to be good looking first, and have talent second. Megan Fox is a testament to that. While Im glad Ive gotten the pleasure of seeing her fine self grace my screen, she's talentless. But because she's gorgeous, she likely does get ahead of some actresses who are quite better.

But in answer to your other question, no, it wouldnt ruin matters for me to have my looks trump talent. Id be thankful to break-in and get whatever type of role I was able to, as long as it didn't make me violate my moral code. I might feel bad if someone who wasnt as attractive as me not getting the role or the album that I did, but thats what the business is about.I would work every bot as hard to get the role no matter the circumstances, in all honesty, so I wouldnt feel bad that my looks got me the initial break. And honestly, if youre attempting to get a role in movies or music and aren't aware of the social stigma that's attached, then you're foolish and shortsighted indeed. I dont mean to be harsh in saying that, but its the truth.

 

[Pole Smoker]

I agree that in certain industries you need looks. Acting singing etc. It's because people don't want to hear an ugly girl or guy talking about how they are cool and attract the opposite sex when they are ugly. Who wants to look at an ugly girl or guy when acting as well. If I am watching a show and there's a nice girl to look at then that's another reason to watch the show lol.

 

[SorgFamily]

I do think looks will help you in this world. You will most likely advance faster than people who have more talent than you but look, well.............not so good. There are exceptions just as there are with almost any rule. Jorge Garcia, Hurley from LOST for those of you who don't know who he is, is one of them. He's not the best looking guy but obviously he was the comedic gold of one of the best shows on television for six years. Plus I think he could do very well in a drama movie. Just from his performance in LOST when he's talking to his therapist and you find out why he's in the mental institution.

I do think that if you don't look great, in the movie spectrum of this topic, you'll be more likely to be accepted as a comedy actor. Zach Galifianakis is a prime example of that. But like I stated earlier, there are exceptions such as Steve Buscemi. Guy looks crazy but he did a great job in Reservoir Dogs, Con Air, Desperado and Fargo among others.

Music on the other hand has become a good looks competition. Mostly just in the pop category. Rock will always be a genre where you will succeed based on talent not what you look like. That's been evident since the punk movement in the late sixties and throughout the seventies.

 

[Tequila Dave]

I once heard (not sure if it's true) that during the presidential election of 1960, people who listened to the Nixon vs. Kennedy debate on the radio favoured Nixon, while those who watched the debate on television and actually got to see Kennedy and Nixon (who wasn't very clean cut If i recall) preferred Kennedy. Why is this? Was Kennedy simply more attractive? Maybe, maybe not; but he looked more like like a President.

Looks mean a lot, but attractiveness doesn't necessarily. Is Kane and the Undertaker attractive? No, but they have the perfect look for their roles, and people still pay to see them. Is Betty White a babe? No, but she looks how she needs to look and people still watch her. People like Johnny Depp gets roles because of his attractivness, not jobs that require lots of talent; but you can be a successful singer/wrestler/actor without being 'hot.' Also, I think people can generally distinguish the difference between talent and appearence. I don't people go watch Twilight thinking "Robert Pattinson is such such a wide acting ability,' but rather 'Edward is so fucking hot.'