munchkinland.
Just finished a run through a couple of Gregory McGuire books. He deals a lot in fairy stories--in the benign but wicked, in the ugly souls who try at beauty. What if the fair princess in the story was not so fair? And the wicked witch not so wicked? It has me thinking a lot about looks--yes, the outside kind--and how it shapes who we are and who we become.
Would Snow White have been Snow White if she were dark and heavy with a crooked nose? Would you be you, in a different body?
If I had to choose, I would have to say that the most defining thing about my appearance is the fact that I am so small. I am little, yes. Sixty inches even, on a good day. A bit less when I'm feeling schlumpy.
The more we allow appearance to define us, the more it, er, does. I know the ways in which I bank on being small--the fact of its littleness, its cuteness. Maybe even its insignificance.
In this small package, I imagine that my clumsiness is less clumsy. The aggressive parts of my nature, less threatening.
The tricky thing about appearance, I think, is that it is so immediately defining. I will never be tall in the world. But might I, if I chose, be tall in other ways? Could I walk into a room as if I were six feet tall? Could I wear long earrings? Take long steps? And if I did, would that really be me?
How would you still be you, if you weren't?
Would Snow White have been Snow White if she were dark and heavy with a crooked nose? Would you be you, in a different body?
If I had to choose, I would have to say that the most defining thing about my appearance is the fact that I am so small. I am little, yes. Sixty inches even, on a good day. A bit less when I'm feeling schlumpy.
The more we allow appearance to define us, the more it, er, does. I know the ways in which I bank on being small--the fact of its littleness, its cuteness. Maybe even its insignificance.
In this small package, I imagine that my clumsiness is less clumsy. The aggressive parts of my nature, less threatening.
The tricky thing about appearance, I think, is that it is so immediately defining. I will never be tall in the world. But might I, if I chose, be tall in other ways? Could I walk into a room as if I were six feet tall? Could I wear long earrings? Take long steps? And if I did, would that really be me?
How would you still be you, if you weren't?
posted by m at 2:59 PM
2 Comments:
Pretty provocative thought. Very interesting. Reminds me why I would want to spend 8 days with ya! But I must say, I have a class with former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and he is the shortest man I have ever seen, barring midgets. Height didn't stop him. Although, he did use it to his advantage- making lotsa jokes about it, therefore letting it define him to some extent.
I always imagined Robert Reich being at least 5'10!
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