Can we blame the ‘Pretty’ for Pretty Privilege? #43

It’s Sunday and I managed to wake up before noon. As usual, before getting out of bed, I spent an hour checking my social media accounts – Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter. A Facebook memory popped up in my newsfeed that motivated me to write this; it was about an incident from college life and I couldn’t resist sharing my thoughts on it.

Two or three years ago, I was in college. One day, it rained heavily and I sat with a group of boys and girls in the cafeteria. I waited for the rain to stop while pretending to be busy on my phone. Although I wasn’t partaking in their discussion, I heard some of it. The guy next to me talked about one of our professors, Rhea Ma’am.

Rhea Ma’am was one of the most knowledgeable professors in our department. She was strict, punctual, and responsible. While other professors mainly focused on class notes and syllabus, Rhea Ma’am encouraged us to develop an interest in the subject that would benefit us in the long run. She was pursuing her PhD at that time and, not only that, she was also one of the most attractive professors!

Though she had strict rules about timings and attendance, she maintained a jolly attitude during classes. She kept things interactive and interesting for everyone—no wonder so many guys had a crush on her! Needless to say, we were all obsessed with her.

Coming to the discussion again, the main subject was how Rhea ma’am got her job and how her good looks may have benefitted her throughout life and career. It must have been hard for her husband to live with people having eyes on his wife. I don’t want to comment on someone’s character or personal life without knowing them, so I’d rather mind my own business.

I’m an average-looking person, so I can relate to feeling underestimated due to my appearance. But I still want to support people who are good-looking and have achieved something through their own efforts. It’s not fair to blame them for any extra privileges they may receive—it’s us who are obsessed with external features and those who give credit for looks must be someone like us, unable to judge a person beyond their appearance or be unbiased in our work when evaluating on the basis of effort. Rhea isn’t the only one judged this way; there are many talented people whose abilities get less attention than their looks.

There is no doubt about Rhea Mam being both pretty and knowledgeable- but I don’t know about her personal journey – how much pretty privilege she got in her life… ‘Cause even if she got that- the giver of that privilege/the society is to blame, not her.

[Update: It’s been more than 5 years since I published the original blog. Rhea Ma’m has completed her PhD along with some of other professors. She’s truly an inspiring woman to me, I wish I had a chance to know her better and follow her footsteps. ]

Thanks for dropping by. Here’s my next blog.