Self-image: “the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change, that depicts not only details that are potentially available to objective investigation by others (height, weight, hair color, gender, I.Q. score, etc.), but also items that have been learned by that person about himself or herself, either from personal experiences or by internalizing the judgements of others” (Wikipedia).
Currently, there are two snapshots floating around on Twitter from an article posted by TheRichest.com, which you can find here. The first picture shows off the alarming title: “12 Male Celebs That Are So Unattractive, They’re Sexy”. The second shows the first person that made it onto the list: Louis Tomlinson from One Direction.
The article was easy to track down, and it’s absolutely appalling.
They started off okay, writing “With all the celebrity men in this world, too many people are basing good looks off of who the ‘it’ guy or girl is in Hollywood, as opposed to maybe giving an equal balance to personality and looks”. That all makes sense – yes, we shouldn’t judge someone so harshly based on their looks. Looks aren’t everything, even though the media tends to make it seem like they are.
Of course, the writer didn’t stop there.
After that thoughtful comment, they continued with “But one has to admit that there are a few men that are flat out just not cute; yet, we find ourselves attracted to them and usually attracted to the thing that is absolutely the least cutest thing about them”.
They continue by giving an example using Val Kilmer.
When he first started out he was fit and cute… but as time went on, he fell off the map and reappeared as a bloated, non-action superstar. Yet, he is still associated with being a hot man (only this time older). There really is nothing hot about him, the bloated look is not fitting and the pony tail he is sporting is a desperate attempt to stay young…
Are you serious?
Body shaming is a real epidemic nowadays, and this writer is just feeding into it. They’re calling out the flaws of a human being in a way that’s unacceptable. The media sets so many standards for how people need to look, and when people don’t exactly fit the criteria, they’re seen as imperfect. This can cause detrimental issues on someone, such as self-image problems, eating disorders, and other mental disorders.
After you pass that horrid introduction, you get into the small paragraph about Louis.
Every boy band member has a title; the ugly one, the one with the deep voice, the heart throb and if they are lucky; the neutral. One Direction band member Louis Tomlinson is unfortunately, the ugly one. However, he could now pass as the neutral since Zayn Malik is gone. Tomlinson has that thing going on that most British men have; he has a few cute features but for the most part he is not good looking. Chances are at the 1D concerts, he has the least amount of fan girl signs. He kind of has this whole rat face thing happening that makes you question if it is cute or not.
This is absolutely out of control.
The author deadpan says Louis is ugly, and that he has a rat face. These seem like words you’d expect from a high school bully, not a professional journalist. But yet here they are, the words all out in the open, where anyone can read them.
Including Louis Tomlinson himself, even though it seems incredibly unlikely.
What if this article got to him? What if he read these words, and for some reason, believed them? Our self-image is created by both us, and the people around us. When you read words like that about you, a lot of times they reflect on how you think about yourself.
This entire piece is disrespectful not only to Louis, but to every person they named. They claimed that looks and personality should work together, that looks aren’t always everything, but here they are downgrading these people because they don’t fit their standards.
It’s unacceptable to call anyone ugly, definitely publicly, even if you don’t find them attractive.
Louis for sure doesn’t fit that disgusting word. Even if you don’t find him attractive, his personality shines so brightly, he doesn’t deserve to be called something so repulsive. He’s one of the sweetest, most caring guys you could witness, and that’s just a piece of what makes him the beautiful person he is.
Not a single person in this article fits the word ‘ugly’, no matter what your opinion is of them. Just because someone isn’t attractive to you, it doesn’t mean they’re not beautiful.
The real ugly? This article.
On top of it being disrespectful to Louis and the others involved, it’s also disrespectful to the people who do find them attractive. For one, a lot of people think Louis is attractive. You’re now criticizing who they like, and trying to make it seem like they’re in the wrong for feeling this way. Just because you have an opinion, doesn’t mean others need to share it.
Opinionated articles are sometimes fantastic to read, but this… this isn’t fantastic. This is disgraceful, appalling, and unbelievable. In no manner should a journalist be able to post something so full of hate and harassment. Not only because it’s disrespectful, but there’s no way of knowing who sees the article. It could fall into the wrong hands, and really hurt someone.
We can’t fix the media, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a stand. Using the link below, or your own tweet, tell TheRichest.com that what they posted is NOT okay. They might see what they wrote as an acceptable piece of writing, and they need to be shown that it definitely isn’t.
[Tweet “.@TheRichest_Com Stop body shaming. Take down “12 Male Celebs That Are So Unattractive, They’re Sexy”.”]
Note: When tweeting them, don’t stoop to their level. Stay civilized, because that’s what will get a response.
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