Sunday, December 14, 2008

Asian STUDS inc

Call it a series of unfortunate coincidences but after having dinner with Zen, I had to come home and turn on the television to "Love Actually," which amidst its galaxy of stars from Britain's cinema scene, involved a shot of the sexy Brazilian male model, Rodrigo Santoro. I am a herterosexual guy and men unlike women are not given to "checking out" members of the same sex, unless they're really striking. So, take it from me that Mr Santoro is a striking looking man when a heterosexual man says he is.

Anyway, what made this interesting is that in one of life's lighter moments, it was suggested that I could set up my very own shop for "Male Giggalo's," imported from places like Nepal, Bangladesh and all over South America. The twist to this, would be hiring Zen as the "Quality Control" officer. We'd all crack up at the idea of a line of good looking guys trying to keep a "Sexually Intense" expression as Zen waddles towards them - taunting their manhood. That image has stuck so firmly in my mind that I can't look at good looking guys and take them seriously. 

To the more astute amongst us, my reactions to the idea of Zen and Mr Santoro is very telling of the way we percieve beauty. When it comes to the concept of beauty and sexual attraction, most of us are male chauvanist pigs. We expect women to be stunning but give plenty of allowances to men to look far away from perfect. How many of us expect male sex symbols like Ricky Martin, Rodrigo Santoro and closer to home, Shah Rukh Khan to be with anything other than a really gorgeous woman. On the other hand, nobody seems terribly bothered by the fact that Kristin Scott-Thomas, the original English Rose, is married to a French Gynacologist who is short, tubby and starting to shine ontop? Does anyone pass comments by the fact that Rene Dion, husband of Celine is 30-years older, fat and bald? 

When it comes to matching beautiful specimens, the society and even nature is decidedly unfair. An ugly man is lauded for his ability to hook the most attractive woman around. On the other side of the table, women are programmed to judge men by a host of criteria other than looks. An attractive woman will be congratulated if she attracts a man who is physically ugly but well-to-do. Good looking but poor simply does not cut it for a guy. Ugly and rich on the other hand does work. 

Seriously, look at Holywood. Did any of us cringe when we saw Michael Douglas's wrinkly bottom pump away in Basic Instinct? Chances are most of us (guys at least) thought, "Lucky Bastard," and the guys amongst us would have little trouble wishing we'd be well loved by a sexy 20-year old when we're in our sixties. 

Now, let's look at what happens when a good looking guy seems attracted to a woman who is way bellow attractive? The poor guy ends up being the butt of jokes. Amongst my friends, we're still making fun of poor old Bijay, the handsome cook, who looked at Zen's photo and exclaimed, "Who is she brother - She is Chubby but VERY PRETTY." On the grander scale of things, the meaner mouths can't help making comments about the Prime Minister's wife's obvious lack of looks. Nobody seems to speak of the obvious achievement in our Prime Minister - he's a man who clearly values brains in a woman over beauty.

Why do we hold such discrepencies when it comes to looks amongst men and women. Nobody congratulates a man for marrying a woman with more brain, money or success than him but we sing his praises if he comes home with  a woman that makes heads turn. No wonder why Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is so worried about Graduate Singapore men not being interested in Graduate Singapore women. As my mother often reminds me - "Brains and character come from mummy." Yet, and yet, what hot blooded man will instinctivly go for that dowdy looking NUS graduate when there's the sexy girl from China in a slinky night dress. 

I remember one of my Finnish friends confessing that he married his very FAT wife because - "She's NOT STUPID," and he pointed out, "I am a man, l love good asses and pretty faces but I can't spend the rest of my life with a stupid woman even if she has a pretty face and a nice ass." Unfortunately, as much as we may admire him for standing by his wife, most of us red-hot-blooded men are not about to follow in his actions. 

So what's there to do? I guess there's nothing that can be done, it's in human nature, after all and instead of grumbling about it, I should be wondering how I could profit from this. Just read this space for more.....Asian STUDS inc may just become a reality ;) or should I just settle for Booters, a restaurant for male hunks to induldge in thier virility ala Hooters for Girls. 
 


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Maira Gall