Beauty in the eyes of the beholder
This morning Elkan read the article on Fiona Fussi, who at age 15, won the Elite model contest, and who was photographed in a bikini. He also read another article ‘Lost in your manga eyes’ about girls who go for eye-lash extensions and special contact lenses. Quickly, I went beside him and started scanning the articles, worried about possible negative impact on him (Will it cause a premature interest in girls in him? Will it create in him a superficial [sorry! that is my view!] perspective of what a beautiful woman is?)
So I asked him for his views on the articles:-
Elkan : “She (Fiona) is very young. But the modelling agencies like her, because she is young”(Ok, it’s very down-to-earth answer, with no value system attached to it. I did feel kind of sorry for Fiona though, as it her beauty and poise had nothing to do with it all, just youth…)
Me : “So what do you think about this? (referring to the ‘manga eyes’ article)”
Elkan: “Very girly and I don’t like it cos I am a boy”(Ok, this is the boy speaking. He has not yet been corrupted with adulthood).
Me: “Would like your girlfriend or wife to look like that?”
Elkan: “I don’t know! (laughing) It depends on whether I like it”(Oh. I understand. It doesn’t matter whether she has those eyes – so long as you like her eyes. Hmm)
This conversation reminds me what he once said to me. I asked him – does he think I am beautiful (Yes, the desire of a woman to be told she looks beautiful is so great, that she would even ask her son for this affirmation!).He said “I don’t need you to be beautiful. I just need you to love me”.
Well, so for now, he is pure, in the sense that he knows what he needs, what he likes and what he wants – oblivious and unchanged by standards around him. I am proud of him, I must learn from him.
