Let's face it, compared to the bronzed and built bodies that fill West Hollywood, Castro, and Hillcrest, I'm not much. Amongst the chiseled faces, rock hard abs, and tall frames, you can find a pudgy, colored boy with glasses and an awkward smile. Compared to that image of the Adonis flooding the media and our senses, I am ugly.
If you think about it, ugly is such an ugly word. It doesn't look all that impressive and alongside to words like "beautiful", "gorgeous", and "glamorous" it hardly compares. "Ugly" must feel highly inadequate in the vocabulary word. It doesn't have the fanciness of its multiple syllable counterparts, and it is rarely, if ever used in a positive context. So of course "ugly" must feel ugly.
On the other hand, "Ugly" has a power that many other words do not. In just four short letters, a word is formed that can make prom queens cry, send people running to plastic surgeons, and can make the most stunning man feel humble for the slightest moment. While words such as "beautiful", "gorgeous", and "glamorous" have a momentary rush of exhilaration and flattery, the use of those words often lead to strong feelings of doubt and distrust. Where as "ugly" has the potency to never be doubted. In a way, "ugly" in all its simplicity and small size lives among the vocabulary giants as the underdog with the ability and strength to one day prevail.
When I look at the word in that context, I guess being ugly doesn't seem so bad after all. Sure I don't have the bronzed ivory skin or the six-pack abs or the physical features that most people find appealing, but in my simplicity, normalcy and inadequacy lies the underdog that reaches to be amongst giants.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
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