The supremely sexy Viviene Leigh, as many of us know, forever resides as Hollywood royalty for her portrayal of "Scarlet O'Hara" in Victor Fleming's film adaptation of Gone with the Wind. In contrast, however, the very first line of the novel, by Margaret Mitchell, is this: "Scarlet O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were." If you're familiar with either the book or the movie, you may remember the Tarleton twins as a pair of handsome young men who dote on Scarlet at a barbecue, and then participate in a scuffle over who will have the privilege to fetch her dessert.
During my stand in the RPW community, I've often noticed members calling their looks into question, and asking whether they'll ever be able to find a quality captain with their allegedly subpar beauty. I think the point Mitchell is trying to make with Scarlet's example (that she felt was important enough to devote the opening lines of her 1,037-page epic to) is that beauty is no substitute for charm, and charm is the more powerful of the two.
Well, what is "charm," really? It is the alluring manner that radiates your personality's feminine nature. It's your way of smiling, putting others at ease, and thus being sought-after company. Despite Scarlet not being beautiful, as the novel states, she was flouncy and flirtatious, and her quick wit was fun, well-placed and intoxicating. And she had high class young men falling all over her as a result.
Be careful not to spin this narrative with a 3rd wave feminist perspective by using it to validate entitlement, or the idea men should be lucky to have you just because you're charming. Mitchell also points out that Scarlet had a 17-inch waist, mind you, and she dressed according to 1860s, rich Southern belle aesthetics, at least in the beginning of the story. It isn't that looks are unimportant, it's just that who you are and how you carry yourself is ultimately more important when it comes down to attracting a mate. Do what you can with your looks, and then develop yourself elsewhere and you'll be fine. You might even make a killing with all your options, like Scarlet, and hopefully you'll be wise enough to pick from them rather than chase an engaged dude, unlike Scarlet ;)
[–]CrazyHorseInvincibleModerator[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children) | Copy Link