On Being Ugly

[Blessed2]

Just wanted to share this video. It's awesome. Right in the feels of everyone.

 

 

[Reena]

Beauty is important just like anything else.

[Mandy]

"I am ugly" or... "I enjoy focusing on other things more than enhancing or caring for my appearance." In my opinion, if art class was offered in school and given importance consistently like math was everyone would know there's no such thing as ugliness and I suspect that people would buy less makeup, clothing and get less tattoos because the canvas would expand beyond the idea of the body and self. Or maybe not, dunno. 

[Jonas Long]

22 minutes ago, Mandy said:

"I am ugly" or... "I enjoy focusing on other things more than enhancing or caring for my appearance." In my opinion, if art class was offered in school and given importance consistently like math was everyone would know there's no such thing as ugliness and I suspect that people would buy less makeup, clothing and get less tattoos because the canvas would expand beyond the idea of the body and self. Or maybe not, dunno. 

Have you seen art school students ever lol

[Reena]

1 minute ago, Jonas Long said:

Have you seen art school students ever lol

Why? Is there something wrong with them? 

[Jonas Long]

2 minutes ago, Reena said:

Why? Is there something wrong with them? 

No, it's just they tend to be tattooed, made up, dress distinctively

[Reena]

Just now, Jonas Long said:

No, it's just they tend to be tattooed, made up, dress distinctively

Isn't that artistic? 

[Mandy]

7 minutes ago, Jonas Long said:

Have you seen art school students ever lol

But then art school students wouldn't be a "special" "unique" culture if art was taught as broadly and seriously as math was. 

[Jonas Long]

2 minutes ago, Reena said:

Isn't that artistic? 

Yeah that's what I'm saying.  As opposed to Mandy's point 

[Jonas Long]

Just now, Mandy said:

But then art school students wouldn't be a "special" "unique" culture if art was taught as broadly and seriously as math was. 

I think it still would be, for those who go ahead with it

[Reena]

Just now, Jonas Long said:

Yeah that's what I'm saying.  As opposed to Mandy's point 

I think Mandy's point was that art is not taken seriously. Therefore people can't easily appreciate beauty. 

[Jonas Long]

1 minute ago, Reena said:

I think Mandy's point was that art is not taken seriously. Therefore people can't easily appreciate beauty. 

But people who do appreciate art often put a fair amount of effort into their personal appearance, its just an extension of the art they make, or enjoy.

[Mandy]

Tattoos are awesome, I like a lot of them, but...  in most cases you're paying someone else to do their art on you, by injecting your body with heavy metals. 🤷‍♀️ Seems like a lot of people do them to appreciate art because they haven't really been exposed to all the others ways to art. Again, that's just a guess. I have no idea how people would be but I doubt that fashion, culture and beauty and the flip side of "ugliness" would be so confused. 

[Jonas Long]

1 minute ago, Mandy said:

Tattoos are awesome, I like a lot of them, but...  in most cases you're paying someone else to do their art on you, by injecting your body with heavy metals. 🤷‍♀️ Seems like a lot of people do them to appreciate art because they haven't really been exposed to all the others ways to art. Again, that's just a guess. I have no idea how people would be but I doubt that fashion, culture and beauty and the flip side of "ugliness" would be so confused. 

That's the same with buying any art isn't it? You are paying an artist for their art, because you like it. 

[Jonas Long]

I don't understand not putting any effort or care into your appearance as a result of appreciating art.  I almost think it's the opposite, really.

Edited December 7, 2023 by Jonas Long

[Jonas Long]

Even if your version of care and effort in your appearance means looking like gg allin.  Nothing to do with "beauty" or "uglyness" in a conventional sense.

[Mandy]

5 minutes ago, Jonas Long said:

That's the same with buying any art isn't it? You are paying an artist for their art, because you like it. 

Sure, but I can sell it again, move it around, give it away, and if there are heavy metals in it, they pose no risk to me. My point is that judging other people's hairstyles, eyebrow styling and clothes and makeup is a poor substitute for visual art, for actually creating instead of just judging. How often I see people call artists talented, and they say they can't draw. You couldn't do math either if your teacher didn't teach you. I think that a lot of the fashion/beauty obsession is to try to fill that void. 

 

 

[Jonas Long]

2 minutes ago, Mandy said:

Sure, but I can sell it again, move it around, give it away, and if there are heavy metals in it, they pose no risk to me. My point is that judging other people's hairstyles, eyebrow styling and clothes and makeup is a poor substitute for visual art, for actually creating instead of just judging. How often I see people call artists talented, and they say they can't draw. You couldn't do math either if your teacher didn't teach you. I think that a lot of the fashion/beauty obsession is to try to fill that void. 

 

 

Or is it just the same thing?  There's painters, and art critics, film makers and film critics, fashion designers and their critics, on a professional level and a laymen level.  Is it any less hurtful to have you art criticized badly than it is your appearance, specifically an aspect of your appearance you choose, like a makeup or hair or clothing choice?  Isn't it all just esthetics?  Those who make and those who criticize or appreciate?

[Reena]

10 minutes ago, Jonas Long said:

Even if your version of care and effort in your appearance means looking like gg allin.  Nothing to do with "beauty" or "uglyness" in a conventional sense.

But anything can be judged as beauty or ugly, even art. I think not putting any effort into your appearance might either stem from genuinely believing that you're ugly and so no hope trying or that you just lack self esteem and view yourself as beneath others or unworthy. 

[Mandy]

22 minutes ago, Jonas Long said:

I don't understand not putting any effort or care into your appearance as a result of appreciating art.  I almost think it's the opposite, really.

I make art full time, and part of that means not doing my nails, hair, makeup, because all my creative energy goes into other art, and also partly because my nature of my artform would RUIN the hair, nails, makeup and clothes. 😂 On long days in the studio my eyes even get bloodshot from the dry air. I do buy art from other artists for my home. Most of the time I look just like the girl in the video, dirty glasses, messy unwashed hair, don't care. I'd rather create something that brings me income, and brings someone lasting joy, than spend money on makeup to create a look that's gonna wash off be taken off before I go to bed at night. It's fun sometimes, but it doesn't really reflect on me either way. And that's the main misunderstanding, that it reflects on us. The girl in the video claims she is ugly because she hasn't done anything to her eyebrows or bought contacts or washed and styled her hair. Either it's done for attention or is a very sad misunderstanding. That's pretty much the whole obsession with beauty, beauty is for pleasure, there's no flip side, it's creating anew foryou all the time.