When did our society evolve into an open marketplace where women are rated on a numerical scale based on physical attractiveness? More than just being utilitarian and reductive, this practice is both petty and, frankly, disgusting. This commodification and objectification of women have proliferated in the digital age, a regrettable development symptomatic of a broader trend of dehumanisation in our culture.
The tendency to assign numerical scores to women’s attractiveness, akin to rating products on e-commerce websites, trivialises their individuality, personality, and innate human worth. It isn’t just men guilty of this; women also partake in the practice, having been conditioned by a patriarchal culture that pushes us to constantly compare and evaluate ourselves. This behaviour has permeated our societal psyche, almost unrecognisably normalising our discourse. But, it’s about time we woke up and realise: It’s everything wrong with the modern world.
The utilitarianism inherent in such an approach is detrimental. It reduces a woman’s worth to an easily quantifiable metric, like evaluating a product’s usefulness based on a single characteristic. However, people are not products. We are complex beings with an array of emotions, intellect, humor, creativity, compassion, resilience, and so much more. We cannot – and should not – reduce anyone’s worth to mere physical appearance, let alone assign it a score.
The practice is reductive in its essence, attempting to squeeze the vastness of human beauty into a singular, linear scale. It disregards the multi-dimensional nature of beauty – both inner and outer – and negates the unique individuality that each person brings to the table. People are different and that’s what makes us beautifully human.
Equally problematic is the pettiness that seeps through this grading culture. It feeds into a toxic environment where people feel compelled to judge and rank one another, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and unrealistic beauty standards. It can lead to destructive body image issues, mental health problems, and lower self-esteem. It’s time to step away from this petty behaviour and foster a more supportive, inclusive society.
This practice is also downright disgusting. It is disrespectful and demeaning, propagating the objectification of women. It undervalues the individual, their experiences, intellect, and character, all while treating them as mere objects for visual consumption. Such devaluation strips away human dignity and it’s high time we move past this archaic perspective.
So how should we reframe our perceptions of beauty and attractiveness? Consider the ancient Greek tale of Helen of Troy, whose beauty was said to have launched a thousand ships, initiating the Trojan War. Her beauty, it seems, wasn’t quantified; it was qualitatively expressed through the magnitude of actions her presence spurred.
In our daily lives, it’s essential to comprehend that beauty isn’t about numbers or surface-level appearances; it’s about the unique spark each person carries within them. The real ‘score’ of a woman’s attractiveness is the quality of her character, the depth of her intellect, the generosity of her spirit, and the kindness of her heart. The magnitude of her influence on the people and world around her is far more telling than any number could ever be.
It’s time we start thinking about how many ‘ships’ a woman would launch, rather than confining her worth to a numerical scale. How many minds has she opened? How many hearts has she touched? How many lives has she impacted? These are the measures we should be celebrating.
The narrative of beauty needs to evolve. Our obsession with numerical scores should be replaced with a profound respect for individuality, diversity, and holistic attractiveness. We must shift from the commodification of women to the celebration of their uniqueness. We need to acknowledge that every woman, like every person, is a universe in her own right, each radiating a beauty that is entirely her own, incalculable and beyond comparison. It’s high time we moved beyond the primitive notion of assigning numbers and embraced a more humanistic approach to beauty.
Sharon Cobalt is a writer, social commentator, and advocate for gender equality. Known for her insightful articles on social issues, Sharon’s work pushes the boundaries of conventional thinking to promote empathy and equality.
