Beauty...?

Never thought that I would actually like Korean movies, as I have always dreaded those artificial tragedies which seemed to peppered all over Korean soaps. However, ever since "Volcano High" and "Windstruck", the comedic treatments Korean movies brought to serious issues gradually began to grow on me.

You will laugh, you will cry and after the movie, you will think about it. The latest one I saw goes by the name "200 pounds beauty", a movie that deals with the primordial conflict between inner and physical beauty.

Of course, having cute Korean babes helps.

* * * * *

"Why do you like her?" The guy was asked. "Because she's beautiful?"

Guy gave a shrug. "Only losers like you would say that..."

"Then why?" He was cornered. "Because of her innocence?"

"Hmm...," Guy sighed. "Only losers like me will say that."

* * * * *

No matter how we try to evade it, the truth remains that man, ultimately, is a tortured, self-contradicting creature. Nothing exposes this as much as the perception of beauty.

Deep inside, we all know that beauty is only skin-deep and we all would really like to say, with crystal clear conscience, that our love goes way beyond the superficial, beyond the looks, beyond the figure, all the way into the very fabric of her innermost, her nature and her soul.

However, when push comes to shove, when what looms before you becomes a gigantic globule of 200 pounds worth of good nature, you are suddenly not sure anymore. In place of a gorgeous, good-natured girl, all you suddenly see now is a humongous blob of a woman. Yes, good-natured as it is, you only see a humongous blob of a woman.

For the instrospective guy, the basis of his love is suddenly casted into the worst possible doubt: Was he in love with the body or the person? Is the person lesser without the body? Will he fall in love with the body of a different personality? As he traverses the entire continuum of this thinking process, the question becomes ever more philosophical, bringing him towards the enormity of doubt that culminated in Descartes' famous quote "I think, therefore I am".

Personally, I think there can never be a straight answer, especially for people at different stages of the love continuum (infatuation->madly-in-love->just married->marriage in the golden years). However, broadly speaking, the relative importance one places on the body should gradually diminish as he moves from left to right on the continuum of love.

Having said all that, it is almost certain that physical beauty will continue to weigh heavily as a criteria for the ideal girl, and I would reckon that this is due, in large part, to its ephermeral essence. Finally, I will be lying with a straight face if I were to say that physical beauty is NOT important at all, but to me, it serves only to bring you through the door, beyond which it will be the fundamental character that continues hone the entire beauty of a person. Without good nature, physical beauty will only head south from there. In other words, my ideal girl is one whose physical beauty is amplified by her inner qualities, of which innocence and kindness ranked amongst the tops.

I think I would gladly trade places with the delivery man to have the gorgeous and kind Hanna (played by Kim Ah Joong) fuss over my fall...

I think you understand...