Tonight after a brisk 4 1/2 mile run at the gym, I weighed in at 150 lbs... marking a ten pound weight loss since the beginning of this semester and hoping that I will at least maintain the weight for the duration of Cenerentola. I set my mind on a goal...and tonight at least briefly achieved it.
I want to look HOT as Prince Charming... and for the rest of my life.
Vanity- the girls in the magazines with the hair in place and the razor thin bodies. Vanity- the men with the six pack abs and the chiseled jaw line. Vanity- the one thing that those that have none criticize those who crave it, all the while wishing they had some. It is the one thing that separates the boys from the pretty boys.
And yes, being too self-obsessive is a negative thing for most people. It, in and of itself, does not help one gain any friends. It can cause one to be a subject of notorious discussion and judgment.
Yet there are many beautiful people who are incredibly successful and thrive on their vanity and their charm to advance them in society. Especially in one that is, let's just say, behind.
C'mon people. In a YouTube culture we are faced with reality- Americans, for the most part, are not very "sheek" people. As compared to European fashion- whether it be the innovative of the Saint-Germain des Pres or the high sophistication of the British Isles, American fashion certainly is not what it was even a century ago. We have lost the iconic garments seen below...the hats, the overcoats...the silly Noir accents. At least in the most common of social denominators, America lost its identity to NASCAR, t-shirts and the "try so hard to try so little" attitude.
Particularly in this economy and in the line of business that I am about to endeavour into- the arts and entertainment business- image is EVERYTHING. Why should not it be? Would you want your celebrities outside of reality TV and paparazzi madness looking like schlups? No. You would criticize them for it. When Britney or Beyonce gain a pound, everyone makes a big deal of it. When Oprah drops seventy, it's a miracle and everyone praises to the East for the help of the Gods. And for an industry that is run strictly out of image it is one of the only age-old American institution that still withstands and maintains its original intent- beautiful looking people looking beautiful for the masses of the not so beautiful looking people.
Vanity- found its way into the fine arts. It is something that we as artists are having to struggle with daily. Lesser opera singers are replacing the great voices of our time because the latter do not "look the part." Stage directors are taking part in productions that have become highly visual: gratuitous, gory and sometimes downright pornographic; the most recent Metropolitan Opera production of Carmen is mere child's play compared to what is going on in most opera houses and university stages across the country. You can't make music to an empty house- you have to SELL SELL SELL the tickets and appeal to a younger, more contemporary audience. They gray hairs will only come for so long until they are all dead.
Those who are less-than-dapper find themselves participating in academic grunt work or less than "starworthy" performance careers even if their work is artistically exemplory.
Even in singing today, image may not be everything but it is so important.
So, I can sit back and say "I wish I were bourn in the good ole' days" or I'm going to get me some. As Gerald would say, "A great voice is commonplace but a true artist is really rare." In 2010 a true artist also has to physically take care of him or herself in order for them, and their art, to be noticed. Physical discipline is just one facet of what, hopefully, a strong foundation in a career out of this unpredictable world of Western art music making.
Besides that, good physical health can only promote good spirited creativity.
Vanity- I have been self-obsessed since fourteen and tonight I relish in my ultimate goal. Boy does it feel good. But I still feel like I have such a long way to go.
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