The Role of Beauty in Social Division, Essay Example

In Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson,” the main characters become angry when they realize that those of higher class and privilege spend more on toys than the less fortunate can on food (Bambara 1). Yet, today, class and privilege are determined by more than birth or wealth. There are no royal titles and rags to riches stories are abundant. Elvis Presley, for instance, went from living in squalor in Tupelo Mississippi to becoming the King of Rock n’ Roll, simply by singing. Meanwhile, President Barak Obama became the first African American US President, although he came from humble beginnings and no one of his race had ever broken that barrier before. Virtually anyone who has the right idea or talent can become prosperous. Yet there are still classes and some are more privileged than others.

One of the greatest divisions between “classes” in America is determined by looks. Those who are striking are generally more popular. They are able to make more friends in their schools, secure better jobs, and even, sometimes, win elections because of their appearance. Many of the best looking Americans are also the wealthiest, as Americans spend a great deal of money on movies and entertainment and oftentimes, the best-looking candidates are those who are chosen to appear on screen.

We judge each other superficially a great deal of the time. Sometimes, this may mean that we do not choose the most qualified people for jobs and the country may not be quite as good as it could be because of it. We may lose out on strong friendships, because we are more concerned with surrounding ourselves with good looking friends so that we, too, will look good to the world. We probably do a good deal of damage to those who are not lucky enough to have pleasant faces or attractive builds. We may keep them from progressing when they deserve to advance socially and in the workplace.

We have discarded nobility based on blood and birth, but we have replaced it with a system that ranks people according to the beauty of what they were born with, or what they have made of themselves physically. This is no better and may, in fact, be even worse.

Works Cited

Bambara, Tony C. “The Lesson.” 1972. Computer Aided Instruction in the U.C. Davis University Writing Program. 23 July 2010 <http://cai.ucdavis.edu/gender/thelesson.html>.