“Regardless of her having an excellent lawyer, she would have lost at court if she had not opened the front of her dress and captivated the jurors with her glamorous beauty” says the inventor of the philosophical essay, Michel de Montaigne. We are talking about the classy Greek prostitute Phryne. The establishment wanted to get her prosecuted for godlessness. She had claimed that her beauty was no less than that of Aphrodite herself.
Modern judges, too, sometimes let themselves be influenced by the beauty of the accused. After what I just told you, the many ugly people who do not possess the beauty of Aphrodite or Phryne can no longer hope for a mild verdict. Being plain is discriminating.
In Germany, we introduced the “Common Law of Equality” (AGG) three years ago. It forbids you to discriminate for racial or ethnic reasons, for reasons of sex, religion or ideology, because of a handicap or sexual persuasion. Beauty is not part of the list.
The law knows nothing about discrimination due to ugliness. However, your looks are probably a discrimination factor number one. Apparently, our beautiful legal codes are a little leaky. After all, how many people have had to kiss the jobs of their dreams good-bye, because exposed positions are given to the less or equally qualified but more beautiful competition?
Just imagine how much more justice would prevail if evening after evening it were not exclusively the beautiful female news reporters who “watched our dining rooms” from the TV screen, but those who are undeniably plain!
Imagine Karl Lagerfeld having to adhere to the legal requirement that he must not discriminate against the plain girls whenever a model applies for the job! We can definitely hope that, with increased awareness of the concept of justice, more discrimination towers will tumble. It goes without saying that the future “Even more Common Law of Equality” (NAGG) forbids you to call one model plain while saying that the next one is beautiful.
After all, discriminations are discriminating. The very meaning of the word says it all.
kjg
(Translated by EG)
P.S.
I took the liberty of adding the beautiful picture of Mona Lisa – from wikipedia – to the article written by Klaus. Many thanks to wikipedia!
RMD
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