Gender matters; why are we too Obsessive with How we Look?

Humans care a lot about how they look. Looks have been seriously taken as a key ingredient in how people perceive us. Some people do know that how one looks affects the amount of influence they can have on others no wonder some people are too influential than others.

The best examples come from the young rich people across the globe who invest a lot in their image. Some of these are the ones we know as social media influencers whose resource is how they package and present themselves before the world.

Take the example of India for instance. Despite being one of the most populated countries in the world, it also boasts among the top countries with the highest number of billionaires. There is, however, a stack contrast between the old and new billionaires.

The old did not care to flaunt their wealth to other people. They took the lower profile in society and led quiet lives. The new maharajas as they are known have borrowed a lot of things from the western world and are the partying leaders who don’t shy away from showing off their flashy lifestyles.

Their influence is shown in the gadgets they own, the toys they travel around in, and what they wear. Walking around in the latest high-end brand clothing wearing the finest jewelry means attracting a large following on social media which is their main aim.

Women are in a class of their own. For them, beauty is their greatest asset. It is no longer foreign to see people undergo plastic surgeries, get breast and hips implants to try and get a certain look that is perceived to attract attention.

And influence, according to women, is best measured according to how others perceive them. When they walk around and necks turn, then they know that they have some sort of control. This goes in line with how humans are expected to behave.

An average human being will strive to have three things in this life; influence (power), money, and authority. Whereas power and authority may look the same, the modern age has developed them in such a way that their different can be easily grasped.

There are people who have a lot of influence but little authority. An example is a social media influencer who has a lot of influence online but may lack the authority to do certain things within certain dictates. Then there is a CEO who has a lot of authority in his own jurisdiction but has little influence on some wider scale things.

So, the modern man strives to have authority and influence at the same time using the power of money to achieve that, most of the time. The power of money for that matter is seen in the accessories these people have but most importantly as well is the image they portray to the general public.

There is a catch as with everything. Like there reaches a point where a lady can have beauty and flamboyancy yet not meet the expectation of others where seriousness and experience and expertise may be required of one. The difference between being attractive and deserving for a woman becomes a great challenge in this case.

Mahatma Gandhi spoke of the seven dangers of human virtue which ultimately puts all things into perspective and demystifies the human folly theory of obsession with looks and money and power. They seven dangers of human virtue are:

 Wealth without work.

 Pleasure without conscience.

 Knowledge without character.

 Commerce without morality.

 Science without humanity.

 Worship without sacrifice.

 Politics without principle

At the end of the day, it becomes vanity if our obsession with looks seeks to portray our selfishness as opposed to making this world a better place. It becomes of no value if our beauty and show abundance seek to glory self without the conscience to help others.

If anything, let us rejoice that we made this place a better world through our acts of kindness and love and influence and inspiration. Let us rejoice that we found joy in living as humanly possible as we could as opposed to having lived a life of show of plastic surgeries void of any humanity.