Picture Perfect: Is It What We Really Want?

Through various jobs and volunteering, I've met more than my share of actors – really well-known actors, the kind that light up movie screens. Film is a funny thing; it can dramatically alter its subject. For example, some of the actors I've met are less attractive than the roles they play (I guess that movie makeup does work magic). The men always seem to be shorter than they look on-screen, and the women taller (now how does that work?). Everyone is usually much skinnier – even actresses with a reputation for being “chunky” in the tabloids are usually, I assure you, much smaller than the average person. And, perhaps most surprising of all, there are those who are much more attractive in person than on TV.

I distinctly recall one actor in particular. He was the star of a show that had failed to grab me with its first episode. The guy wasn't ugly by any means, but on TV and in his pictures he seemed somewhat generic. I had no interest in meeting him. Then, in person, his eyes seemed almost electric. He smiled and joked with me, and I swear I almost walked into a pillar. He wasn't even my type.

Hollywood is full of these blindingly attractive people. The rest of the world? Not so much. The TV shows and movies that we watch have people that are literally hand-picked from the most attractive people in the country, or even the world. Why, then, do we expect to find only those people on online dating sites, and look down our noses at anyone else?

I'm not saying we shouldn't be attracted to those we date. But attraction is so much more than straight teeth or a toned body. Also, I don't know about everyone else, but I know most of the guys I've dated have become more attractive to me as I've gotten to know them. And, of course, there's those, like that actor I mentioned, who are more attractive in person. If you only pursue people who meet strict photographic expectations – without even considering other factors like common interests – who knows what you're missing out on?

One more note: people in Hollywood look great because it's their job. They can afford to live at the gym, not to mention any number of other procedures. A regular person usually has to make many sacrifices to look perfect. Is it worth it? Or do you want to find someone happy with themselves... and you?