Yesterday I was doing the labels for my MMU on the Brother Labelling Machine (yeah, yeah, I am hopeless) in front of the TV and watching a new series on Channel U called “Perfect Cut”. It’s a “local take” on Nip/ Tuck. Yeah, our “creative” friends at Mediacorp are constantly “borrowing” ideas from Taiwan, US and the latest I heard, from Japan. Ah well.

Anyway, I enjoy shows with medical themes like Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Nip/ Tuck (though the latest season kind of sucks).

Perfect Cut is not too bad, given that it has an additional dimension of playing the plastic surgery procedures against mental perceptions of self (through the counsellor played by Michelle Chia). It’s good food for thought as to how much the media is playing on our perceptions of beauty and body image. For me, I would look at Dawn Yang anytime (yeah, she is a modified beauty… so what? Gorgeous is as gorgeous gets), then to look at some fat cow who thinks she is hawt (obviously a case of overzealous health in the self esteem department). Hor, naeboo?

I mean, if you are fat, you are fat. Period. There is nothing wrong with being fat, just spare me the spiel about excess skin, excess water, childbirth, whatever. Fat is fat is fat. Well, I am fat but at least I call a spade a spade. Blaming fat on childbirth is utterly lame. Look at Jennifer Lopez, Wong Lilin, Zoe Tay, and I am sure you know someone in your life who has given birth and looks utterly hot. I have nothing against fat and moreover have known some pretty hot bigger women (myself, of course included ). My bone is with people who are fat, and who either deny it or make excuses for it. For those who embrace it, please join my “by invitation only” club.

In any case, I am an advocate of plastic surgery and I love watching Extreme Makeover. Why? I ask - why NOT? It’s a shallow world where the prettier girls get the higher salary and the richer man - and I am not the one making up the rules. Of course, looks alone are not enough and I place a great deal of importance in education and being well read. The reason why I am working so hard is also to build a better life for the girls. I want to be able to send them overseas (at this rate they are bringing in “foreign talent”, I really doubt there are places in the local U for them anyway). Since I don’t come from a rich upper class family (my parents are modest middle class working folks), the onus is on me if I want to invest $XXX,XXX in their education. I have not asked my parents for money since I was 17 and I am not about to start. It is disgusting to hear that some, who are already in their 30s, have their parents pick up the tab for their credit card bills, housing or car loans.

Anyway, I digress.

My point is, looks are very important (and so is the brain department). Take two girls who have a comparable education background/ abilities going for the same job interview or pitching their business to a potential client. Who do you think gets the upper hand, given that performance level will be comparable? Even if the pretty one does not speak so well, and the plain jane is extremely eloquent, I have seen so many cases where the pretty one gets picked and salary expectation has nothing to do with it.

Sometimes, the pretty one with the lower education even wins because she carries herself better and has superior deportment skills.

This is a shallow society and I don’t see why someone who is plain or even ugly should be denied the opportunity to compete on an equal level. And honestly, we would all have it easier on the visual aesthetics.

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On a totally random note: would you prefer to be fat and pretty/ or slim and ugly?