Of Beauty and Brains.....

Was reading the news online (www.timesofindia.com), and happened to chance across an article titled "Ash to date stripper on US show".....

Read through the article, took a look at our very own homegrown beauty queen, and was able to gather enough info to confirm my opinion that a beautiful smile, a creamy complexion and an attractive figure might get you far enough in bed, but doesn't qualify you as a mature and worthy ambassador of your country. Really, if dating a middle-aged ex-stripper on some TV show is part of representing your country and part of the expectations from Miss Worlds and Universes - well, I'm basically at a loss for words to describe the collective asinine inanity of the whole thing !

Given the present state of the world, where being beautiful and fashionable is increasingly synonymous with wearing less clothes and showing more flesh, I somehow tend to look askance at people who claim that beauty pageants test the inside of the brain on equal terms with the outside of the body.

I really dont understand how you can test the intelligence of a person with questions like "What would you do if given one chance to change the world ?" or "Who would you want to be born as if you were given the choice ?".

The stock-in-trade answers for the first one range from bringing about world peace (politics is child's play, after all), to eliminating poverty (just break into Bill Gate's safe ???!!!), to ending all arms races and arresting all dictators (and possibly rehabilitate them in Shantiniketan, eh ? - I guess the judges also expect the "mature" and "compassionate" side of our lovely beauties).

As for being born again, the answer is easy - mug up a few famous names (not political, mind you) ; the more do-gooder types - for example Gandhi, Mother Teresa, the late Pope John Paul - and blab about how you absolutely adored them ever since you were born (of course, our beauties had interesting childhoods, where they didn't play or watch TV or do what kids do - they were busy reading up biographies and autobiogaphies of famous people and were lending a helping hand to the poor and downtrodden of the earth).....

Which brings me to the question - is this an indicator of the evolving IQ of the 21st century homo-sapient ?

Just a thought on beauty pageants and queens of the world - I've seen the mute stone statues carved on the temples of Khajuraho - and they have a much more genuine, enthralling and sensual beauty that shines on through the ages, despite the sands of Time.....the manicured nails and pedicured feet and sculpted bodies that walk the ramps are but insignificant beings that pale in comparison.....

(I wish Ash all the best in her efforts to be our beauty ambassador to the world)