“I Want to Look Like …”

So I woke up this morning after a long night of sleep – GREATLY NEEDED SLEEP – and while I have been taking my AM meds, I have been watching “Before Midnight” for about the 3rd time, trying to catch what I missed during the first two watches (necessarily – I can barely sit through the best of films). I must admit, Julie Delpy’s physical condition does bother me a bit – I know this is far from the “PC” thing to say, but all I mean is that I do feel as if these “actors” and “actresses” are being paid to be seen, more or less. As such, I do not think they MUST be in perfect physical condition, but I think they should look like they try, at least, to work on their appearance. I work on my appearance and I am not being paid by anyone to do so.

At any rate, the thing that got me the most was the lack of tone in her arms, generally. I found it difficult, in the context of this film, to believe she had two young twin daughters with these arms. I cannot say that I have ever known a GOOD (i.e., “involved”) mother who had anything but muscular arms, again, necessarily, because of all of the things she had to do to take care of her children and her family. In the context of this film, given the amount of time Delpy spends topless as well, it is just difficult for me in general to try to picture this woman as the “mistress,” as it were. That could be just my terrible social conditioning, yes. (And I will add here that ta least I acknowledge this conditioning!)

Where I am going with all of this – in the corner of this “article” I pulled up about Delpy’s history (how she was initially “found” by Godard … like … really?????) was a picture of … what is her name … Miley Cyrus! There we go! I am too old, I suppose. At any rate, my attention, obviously, was then drawn to the differences in “beauty” or at least appearance between Miley Cyrus and Julie Delpy. If I had to pick one? I’d pick Delpy. I do not understand in the slightest why anyone thinks Miley Cyrus is attractive – and we all know who is pulling in more $$$$. It’s all about the family in this case, in my opinion – not how toned one’s arms are for a given part. Not how “cute” one might have been as a young person for starring in a Disney show (true, I think, by the way – which doesn’t definitively mean that person will be that cute indefinitely, obviously!). But I just wonder to myself – what is it that allows us to idolize either “end” of the spectrum here – the highly praised (think the Kim Kardashians, who I don’t see as particularly attractive either – Kylie ESPECIALLY – I prefer the pre-plasticized model, thanks much!) or the highly criticized? And is it praise that allows us to criticize both ends of said spectrum? I would argue “yes.”

This is just an interesting subject to which my attention was inadvertently drawn this morning. I hope you all have a happy and healthy day wherever you might be in the world!