The Paradox of Beauty

"Ruslana Korshunova, 20, a long-haired "fairy tale" lovely, who once graced the cover of Russian Vogue, plummeted onto busy Water St. in the Financial District around 2:30 p.m, according to sources and building residents. On Sunday, police ruled the model’s death a suicide."

A beautiful woman throws herself off a balcony, and a repulsive one drowns herself in sleeping pills… one seemingly overwhelmed with a lack of inspiration, one seemingly underwhelmed with an abundance of it. Now I must say, first and foremost, that I do not want to appear as though I’m proposing the idea that the particularly beautiful and the particularly ugly are unusually prone to suicide, but I would like to use these macabre examples to illustrate, or perhaps simply illuminate, an idea concerning the relationship between one’s natural appearence and one’s level of enjoyment with the world at large. The idea, as per usual, is that both seemingly opposing extremes in this subject have remarkable similarities, and that the conflicted center is, as per usual, the ideal place to be.

While seeds of such thought perpetually fall into the soil of the brain, patterned evidence is required to allow them to take root and grow into the realm of conscious consideration. The peculiarly over-hyped death of the super model propelled me into the idea, and the inertia of this alone helped uncover an abundance of other camouflaged evidence. Now then, as recognizing a paradox usually goes, I invision a closed line with three points. A central point, and two polar points, each reciprocols of one another. The proposed idea, or hypothisis, is always that the conflicted central point, by nature, inherits the strength that is born through the perpetual clash of the two opposing point’s weaknesses, on a basic and tangible level.

So with the structure laid out, some practical application in the nature of an assumption–

Only the exceptionally beautiful, and the exceptionally ugly, possess a tipped hand in the "game of life," and for better or worse, share a common ground in that life has significantly less meaning than that of their less quintessentially structured brothers and sisters.

For while it is not difficult to imagine a creature of hideous appearance despairing, it can be difficult for some, in their insecurity, to recognize the equal amount of despair in one who, rather than consistantly being denied that which he or she "wants," is consistently given that which he or she wants. For is it not equally pointless to play a game you’re always destined to win, as well as a game you’re always destined to lose? Perhaps not when it comes to physical net gain…but when it comes to the pleasure of playing the game, there is absolutely no difference between the two.

To obtain the optimal pleasure in playing, one’s ratio of "wins" and "losses" must be equal. To appreciate a win, one must know a loss…the more frequent the loss, the more savory the win. Yet the more frequent the loss, the more frequent the loss, which can lend itself to slight despair in it’s own way. Central equality, as I mentioned, is always ideal in a paradox situation. Those who obtain the most pleasure, through things affected by physical appearance, are those who feature the perfect clash of stunning features and overburdening handicaps, each serving to contrast and draw out the other– a gaunt man with brilliant blue eyes, an overweight woman with a large voluptuous mouth– and so forth.