Day 26

Scrolling through my Facebook feed and I come across a then and now picture of a popular actor and heartthrob and it brought up a conversation I had a few days ago.

Basically, there are two kinds of good looking people in the world. I have (arbitrarily) assigned them the labels “remarkable” and “unremarkable.”

What it boils down to is the “unremarkable” group is the people who fit into society’s ideal of what makes a person attractive. Smooth skin, straight teeth. Women in this group usually have long, shiny hair, men have the latest “trend” haircut. High cheekbones and oval faces for EVERYONE! They are undeniably attractive and that’s what makes them so unremarkable.

The “remarkable” group, however is made up of the people who don’t fit the mold. Maybe they have a large, noticeable scar or maybe they buck (or set) trends and wear their hair in a purple Mohawk. Maybe they aren’t the magazines’ idea of the perfect weight. They probably don’t fit the scientific ideal of what makes a person attractive, either (this is reserved for the unremarkable beauties). They are flawed, they are asymmetrical, they may be short or curvy or they may have feet that are too big for the rest of their body.

But it is all of those things that make them not only attractive but memorable and remarkable as well.

I remember, years ago, a “conversation” that took place on a blog I followed. It was (coincidentally) between one of these remarkably beautiful people and someone who (because of this conversation, actually) would become one of my closest friends. She –  my friend – had asked him – the blogger – for advice on how to make friends because she’s blind and feels like that’s all anyone ever sees of her. He told her that the time they had met in person, he had talked to hundreds of other people that same night but she was the one he would remember. Because she was different, she was unique, not because of her blindness but because of her spirit.

This past December, I was with her in a tiny pizza shop after a concert. The singer from one of the bands we’d just seen – and another of these remarkably attractive people – came into the shop just as we were getting ready to leave. We said hello and it was my friend, not this singer, who became the center of attention. The singer gushed over my friend, how she loved my friend’s hair (which had been freshly colored blue and pink) and her Christmas-y red and white manicure. I don’t remember everything that was said (which is strange for me) just that it was said and that I agreed with it, 100%.

I started this thinking, I’ll write a few paragraphs about how a person can be symmetrical and muscular and have chiseled cheekbones but still not be memorable and then maybe list a few celebrities who fit each category, in my opinion, to kind of illustrate my point. But I don’t think anyone wants that. I’m the one writing this thing and I’m pretty sure I’d be bored by it.

So, instead, I’ll just leave you with this. Maybe you’ve learned a little more about me.