The Beautiful People

The Beautiful People are suppose to be the idle rich who follow the “sun of the good life” from Manhattan to Palm Beach to Monte Carlo and by yacht to the French Rivera and the southern coasts of Italy and Spain.  They are the people who show up on the “red carpet” where they can be seen wearing the latest fashion creations by—Versace, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Gucci, Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren.  These beautiful people are the style-setters, pace-makers for what smart, cute and glamorous people will decides “what’s in.”  The rest of us are likely to envy them, their good fortune and big fortunes, and wish that we could be like them as latter-day-sun-worshippers.  So we invest millions of dollars in “look a-likes” to pretend we are one of the style-setters. 

If you look behind the sparkle and make-up you will likely to discover something not so beautiful.  Many of these people with nothing to hold on to except their appearance are likely to be in a constant, desperate, losing battle against the bulge in the wrong place, the unwelcome wrinkles, the drying skin, the crows’ feet under the eyes, and the middle-age paunch in the men.  One begins to wonder how beautiful are these people, so many of whom must disappear from sight for substance abuse treatments or a bout with alcoholism.  They seem anxious, disturbed, trying too hard to be merry and happy.

There is another kind of humanity that many might call the “beautiful people.”  They are the ones who should be admired, supported and respected.  They may be wearing sweatshirts, jeans and sneakers, but they are visiting the sick, taking care of the environment, leaving corporate America to volunteer in African to care for HIV/AIDS patients, planting gardens in the inner-cities, teaching under privilege children in poverty stricken communities, and joining the protesters when public policies negatively impact the poor and underserved.  These “beautiful people” care for those who are vilified, castigated, ostracized and marginalized in our society.  Are you a “beautiful person?”  Let us hear from you.