The Discussion Continues...

This evening I had a chance to discuss the whole beauty and attractiveness subject with some close friends of mine. We ended up trying to choose our favorite movie stars based on looks, one female and one male each. It was interesting... it's so funny how our perceptions of what is physically good-looking differ so much from person to person. (If you must know, I picked Jude Law (or maybe Ashton Kutcher) and Liv Tyler (or maybe Natalie Portman). I can never just settle on one person... I just can't commit...) The winner of being chosen the most for good-lookingness was Brad Pitt. I don't personally agree with that consensus. Anyway, I'm not totally sure where I was going with that, but it's kind of interesting to see which famous people were picked, and for what reason.
Along these same lines, I was recently reading an article in "O" magazine ("O" stands for OPRAH, by the way...) by a life coach who specializes in women and self esteem. It was interesting because when she counsels women she gets them to imagine for a day that they look exactly like their favorite movie star, to get their confidence up. It really works, apparently. It seems a bit odd to me, but a bit intriguing at the same time. Apparently a lot of these women walk with an extra bounce in their step and were a lot more assured of themselves. It was easier for them to indirectly convince everyone else that they were attractive... they really believed they were attractive. I'm not sure if it's a good thing to try and do every day... but it seems like an interesting thing to do to try and give your self-confidence a boost.

On a totally different note..... MINI VANS! Ever since I got my car (and my licence, shortly beforehand) this past fall, I've noticed that people who drive mini vans are MANIACS on the road. I think I know the reason for this. Bethany and I have discussed this already, I'm pretty sure... but I have some new developments on this subject to report. Ok- so, mini van drivers are usually middle-aged. They most likely have at least 2 kids, and they also most likely work full time. They've basically settled into a life routine, and their lives are probably fairly predictable. The mini vans they drive are a necessity, because of their routines and life's needs. Now - these people probably weren't like this when they were newly married. They may have even hoped to avoid the predictable every-day routine of the 9 to 5 life. I think that most of these middle-aged people are now in denial, and may be indirectly bitter about how life has turned out for them. No one would desire to buy a mini van for aesthetic reasons, right? I mean, who would CHOOSE to buy a mini van, because of how they look? This leaves the middle-aged person feeling slightly annoyed and maybe even slightly embarrassed at how things have turned out. Mini vans sure don't have the same appeal as some zippy little european sports car. Therefore, the middle aged person feels like they have something to prove. When they're out there on the road, they want you to KNOW they haven't fully succumbed to the drudgeries of the routined life. They want the other drivers to know that they CAN speed on highways, they CAN pass you if you're in the fast lane going 140, they CAN honk at you if they happen to dislike any little thing you do on the road, even if the honk is totally uncalled for. The people who drive mini vans are basically 45 year old moms and dads who still have a bit of their old 18-year-old self hidden away somewhere, trying to break free.

Lately I've noticed the most hilarious thing ever. BLACK mini vans. I've seen about 4 or 5 this week. These people are insane! They're trying to turn their ugly, only-owned-because-of-convenience vehicles into cool-looking, sleek black vehicles. It's a PARADOX. These people are in such denial. I think everyone knows that people buy cool cars in black because it's the most sophisticated thing EVER. (What's cooler than a black Jaguar? Tell me, WHAT?) You can't have a sophisticated mini van! It's just not possible! Sometimes as I'm driving down the highway and one of these black mini vans roars past me in a huff because I'm only going 130, I laugh out loud. I enjoy a nice little chuckle to myself. They may think they can prove that they're not old or that they're not stuck in their routine by driving recklessly... but I know. I know that they drive their kids to soccer twice a week. I know that they spend a lot of their free time at Fortino's, buying bread and eggs and yogurt... and spinach. I know they're 45 year old accountants. They can't trick me. Now I've come to the conclusion that they can roar past me all they want... I won't be upset. I just hope to not be in their shoes someday.