Face or body: the dilemma of attraction with a market price
An analysis puts the cost of fixing the face at 4,000 euros. How far does the body make up for it? The aesthetic dilemma with a price tag
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The face and body dilemma: how much does forgiveness cost?
In the era of the profile picture, an uncomfortable question is back: does a good body make up for a face that doesn't measure up? The debate, in its crudest form, has circulated online forever, but now it has numbers.
The 4,000 euros of doubt
One of the most cited analyses puts the investment needed to "fix" the problem at around 4,000 euros: hairdressing, new glasses and a rhinoplasty. The implicit conclusion is that beauty is a market with catalogue prices, and that the standard equipment can be upgraded with spare parts.
The photo that lies on purpose
Some argue the original photo was deliberately taken to be unflattering: changing the hairstyle, the glasses and forcing a smile raises the score by one or even two points. What isn't said is whether those two points justify the investment. Meanwhile, social media has created a niche of its own where even less conventional profiles find an audience.
In the end, the question of whether the face can be forgiven is just the vulgar version of a much colder equation: how much are we willing to pay, in time or in euros, for what we don't like looking at.
In the era of the profile picture, an uncomfortable question is back: does a good body make up for a face that doesn't measure up? The debate, in its crudest form, has circulated online forever, but now it has numbers.
The 4,000 euros of doubt
One of the most cited analyses puts the investment needed to "fix" the problem at around 4,000 euros: hairdressing, new glasses and a rhinoplasty. The implicit conclusion is that beauty is a market with catalogue prices, and that the standard equipment can be upgraded with spare parts.
The photo that lies on purpose
Some argue the original photo was deliberately taken to be unflattering: changing the hairstyle, the glasses and forcing a smile raises the score by one or even two points. What isn't said is whether those two points justify the investment. Meanwhile, social media has created a niche of its own where even less conventional profiles find an audience.
In the end, the question of whether the face can be forgiven is just the vulgar version of a much colder equation: how much are we willing to pay, in time or in euros, for what we don't like looking at.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (20 replies).
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