I'd Rather Be Ugly

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Poem written spring of 2010, revised for film spring 2014, produced by Bailey Mulholland. Starring Brianne Meehl. Music: "Magic Marker" by Sorapone Saeyang, on Sound Cloud.
Beauty is as beauty does
But what does beauty do?
Preen and prance and make romance?
No - don't think that's all there is to it
There must be so much more
Beneath the skin, behind the door
Could someone, someone show me
What's true beauty?
Cuz all I'm hearing is
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who's the fairest of them all?
None! Cuz now we all want tans
Tan in a can to get the man
Cuz you can't get a man with a gun - what gun?
So beauty's skin deep
Well how deep is that?
Wouldn't beauty increase then in ratio to fat?
Look like linguini in that skimpy bikini
But darling, you're still asymmetrical
Drop that cookie it'll go to your thighs
Pout the lips, bat the eyes
Barbie girl in a Barbie world
Easy breezy beautiful, Covergirl
The young want boobs
The aged want youth
To smooth out that wrinkle
Or straighten that tooth
As though Botox can rewind clocks
Goin' under the knife to live the life
Nip, tuck, fat suck
Surgery cosmetic to fix what's genetic and make on aesthetically pleasing
Hairless, veinless, invisible pores
Purity balls and painted whores
Beauty's the Beast
To say the least
But fit the image and your salary's increased
High heels for high appeals
She walks in beauty like the night
Skirt slit reveals
But God forbid that's cellulite!
I'm your Venus, I'm your fire
But Vogue is a fraud
And Cosmo's a liar
All those ads in magazines
For make-up, bras and too-tight jeans
Let's take this word "sexy" and I don't mean to imply
If you remove the "sex" you're left with
"Why?"
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Tell you what it means to me
Not wolf whistles and not cat calls
Down the city streets or the high school halls
In myth and life objectified
Goddess, princess, perfect bride
Social standards, known cliches
All the tabloids do is raise
Hell, and questions of self-worth -
Am I only good for prettiness, and then for giving birth?
And ironing?
Conform to the norm, the standard, expected
If you want to get married or even elected
As prom queen, top model, Commander in Chief?
Just keep those pretty lips closed - good grief!
Fierce! Says the feminazi
Smile! Says the paparazzi
World Peace! Says Miss America -
Could you, like, repeat the question?
Flawless on the silverscreen
Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline -
Or most likely computer-generated airbrush touch-ups
All is vanity and now it's insanity
We idolize and don't realize
We look through the media's lens of lies
And beauty slandered with a bastard shame
Do we only have ourselves to blame?
If beauty have a soul this is not she
Which is why I think I'd rather be ugly
References:
Snow White (fairytale)
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Covergirl (commercial)
She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron (poem)
Venus (commercial)
Respect by Aretha Franklin (song)
Maybelline (commercial)
Bible, Ecclesiastes 1:2 (verse)
Sonnet 127 by Shakespeare (poem)
Troilus and Cressida by Shakespeare (play)

[@faithyayi]

this is amazing

[@hueningkaj]

TRUE

[@JDS141NZ]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, respect is earned and you always have a choice. Hope that helps.

[@thornspanner7703]

Lucky for that......