#Superficiality

[we-live-in-lapush]

“Rosalie was the most beautiful person I had ever seen—physically speaking. But her thoughts were so shallow, so self-centered, that her beauty quickly became insignificant to me. She was beautiful, yes, but there was nothing in her that spoke to me on a deeper level. She was constantly preoccupied with her own reflection, with how others saw her, while I found such concerns meaningless, especially in a world where immortality rendered such things irrelevant. I couldn’t understand how Rosalie could care so much about something so fleeting. Beauty fades, but what is left when it does? Nothing but an empty shell, a fragile thing with no substance beneath it. Despite all this, she was a part of us, It was not my place to judge her, not really. We were all misfits in some way, after all. I knew that Rosalie had been trying—however reluctantly—to protect Bella, in her own way. She was bitter because of the way she had been changed. She had been selfish, yes, but her past had given her little else to cling to. There was a cruelty in selfishness, a coldness that came from using others for personal gain. It made me sick to think of it. I couldn’t stand how Rosalie used people, how she manipulated them for her own purposes. But it wasn’t just her—I saw that same selfishness in humans every day. With Rosalie, there was nothing unknown, nothing I hadn’t already seen or understood. She was predictable. I knew Rosalie cared only for herself—she wouldn’t lift a finger for anyone unless it benefited her. And even then, it was often just because of her vanity. She was so selfish, so self-absorbed, I could hardly stand it. But with Emmet though, that’s another story. I’d never seen Rosalie look at anyone the way she looked at Emmett—she was a different person in his presence. It was amazing to watch, this glimpse of humanity in her. In a room, Rosalie was always the one to catch the eye first, but Bella held my gaze. There was something powerful about her simplicity, a quiet strength that Rosalie’s loud beauty could never match."

Edward's View on Rosalie throughout the twilight saga

[skinnypaleangryperson]

I've never switched back and forth between two comfort characters in my life. I have severe weird imagination fog brain damage from being equally in love with Bojack and Rick for completely different reasons. Rick is more of an incredibly independent of abrasive alcoholic completely detached from all society because we're both too good for what has been normalized as people bullshit kind of way, BoJack has this incredibly deep romanticism and sophistification and soft slowness and deep spirituality to it. Both are just as equally helpful and just as easily needed, but it gives me brain damage with my maladaptive daydreaming switching between them.

I'm very lucky to have it, though. I'm starting to get too tired to defeated for a multitude of reasons, mainly society being the main aspect, and all of its abrasive expectations to be some sort of extremely relevant person or you're basically scum, which is a message that I see daily and all kinds of ways that has completely detrimentally exhausted me, and it's nice to have a hobby that isn't too demanding, boring and as overly modest as it is, to keep mind and body busy until I can leave this living hell that we call America.

Christ.

It almost feels like a power move, going on to apps like YouTube and Instagram and Twitter and seeing people calling people like me, niche simple people that want nothing to do with this weird narcissistic fame game that people are so brainwashed by that has been utterly traumatizing, and then coming on here and interacting with the most niche posts and mindsets alive. Turns out I'm probably the one that's actually winning long-term while everybody else screams and cries and whines trying to desperately claw their way to a top of an emotional fame ladder that is only measured by digital numbers that don't exist in real life.

[lntrusiveknock]

i think i remember how i became narcissistic and disgustingly deep into something shallow enough,,, when there was nothing to like about humanity except for our innate desire to give love to skin deep features of a human that trigger biological instincts and honestly i watched how beautiful it was— to see humans love so selflessly, naturally, purely. it was like the only time love felt real or warranted . it was the result of my destruction of human made concepts of what makes somebody beautiful or deserving of love. it made me saw any other attempts as human desperation from a craving to be loved, (which i suppose is just horridly inevitable sometimes being emotional creatures) from feeling inherently incomplete and unwhole, undeserving until seen and picked up with shallow adoration, and it was oddly satisfying to know that i only lacked that desperation for superficial validation… to be made complete with love from an external party, i believe could never be capable of real love without personal inadequacy… for whatever reason completely free of that desperation for my soul to be seen and my name sang in conversations, for whatever reason… the only love i knew or had….was in me :)

[loveyourlovelysoul]

Gentle reminder that you ofc are allowed to not feel like establishing any type of relationship or connection with someone you're not interested into for any reason, but you also need to remind yourself that if you like someone for who they are inside and the only thing blocking you is their appearance (eg. they not sticking to whatever beauty standards you believe are correct -nose in a certain way, color of hairs, teeth...-, looking too young/old for you, being too different from you or what you'd like, dressing in a certain way...) then maybe you should stop and think if what you are doing is really because of this person or your own self (fears and doubts, especially fear of not being able to fit into family/society standards and/or what you learn they ask you to have/be) projecting onto them.

What many call superficiality can act in different ways and reflect your own fears too. Pay attention to it, remind yourself of what you really want and need, and challenge yourself too without any fear. The ultimate decision is always yours, but do take it with no regrets and in a way that may even healp you deal and heal something (no matter how the connection will end to be, the fact that you can just stop and realize something for yourself is already a huge step forward for your own journey).

[blueheartbooks]

"The Duality of Beauty and Decay: Oscar Wilde's Masterpiece, The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" unfolds as a decadent tapestry woven with the threads of beauty, morality, and the consequences of unchecked hedonism. Published in 1890, this novel is a timeless exploration of the corrupting influence of aestheticism and the intricate dance between art and morality. The title alone evokes a sense of mystery and allure, foreshadowing the dark and enigmatic journey that readers are about to embark upon.

At the heart of the narrative is the titular character, Dorian Gray, a young and exceptionally handsome man whose portrait, painted by the talented artist Basil Hallward, captures the essence of his youth and beauty. Dorian becomes infatuated with the idea of eternal youth and makes a Faustian pact—his portrait will age and bear the consequences of his immoral actions, while he remains untouched by the ravages of time.

The novel explores the concept of aestheticism, a philosophy championed by Wilde himself, which emphasizes the pursuit of beauty and the rejection of conventional morality. Dorian Gray, initially an emblem of aesthetic perfection, descends into a life of decadence, indulging in every pleasure the world has to offer without regard for the ethical ramifications. Wilde's razor-sharp wit and satirical commentary on the superficiality of society are evident as Dorian navigates the underbelly of Victorian London.

Wilde's prose is a marvel, a poetic symphony that captures the essence of his aesthetic philosophy. The novel is replete with epigrams and witticisms that showcase Wilde's keen observation of human behavior and society's obsession with appearances. The writing is both ornate and cutting, creating a delightful tension that mirrors the duality inherent in the narrative.

The characters surrounding Dorian Gray add depth to the exploration of morality and corruption. Lord Henry Wotton, a charismatic and cynical aristocrat, serves as the catalyst for Dorian's moral descent. His aphorisms and influence on Dorian encapsulate the allure of a life unfettered by societal norms. Basil Hallward, the artist who initially captures Dorian's beauty, becomes a symbol of the internal struggle between art and morality.

The narrative is enriched by the symbolic significance of the portrait itself. As Dorian's sins accumulate, the portrait undergoes a grotesque transformation, reflecting the moral decay hidden beneath the veneer of youth and beauty. The portrait becomes a haunting reminder of the consequences of a life lived without moral restraint, a visual representation of the soul's degradation.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is not merely a cautionary tale but a profound exploration of the human condition. Wilde challenges the superficiality of societal values, prompting readers to confront the inherent tension between aesthetic pursuits and ethical responsibilities. The novel's themes remain relevant, inviting contemporary readers to reflect on the price of unchecked desire and the pursuit of an idealized, hedonistic existence.

In conclusion, Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" stands as a literary masterpiece that transcends its Victorian origins. The novel's exploration of beauty, morality, and the consequences of decadence remains as relevant today as it was over a century ago. Wilde's unparalleled wit, coupled with the timeless relevance of the novel's themes, solidify its place in the literary canon as a work that continues to provoke thought and captivate readers with its exploration of the eternal struggle between the allure of beauty and the inevitability of moral decay.

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is available in Amazon in paperback 11.99$ and hardcover 19.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 188

Language: English

Rating: 10/10                                           

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

[raffaellopalandri]

A Tale of Purposeful Writing

Daily writing promptWhat do you enjoy most about writing?View all responses Writing, for me, is not merely a pursuit of aesthetic pleasure or personal gratification; it is a meaningful act of dissemination, a purposeful endeavour to sow seeds of thought. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com In the fertile fields of the right minds, hearts, and souls, these seeds have the potential to germinate into…

[blueheartbookclub]

"The Duality of Beauty and Decay: Oscar Wilde's Masterpiece, The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" unfolds as a decadent tapestry woven with the threads of beauty, morality, and the consequences of unchecked hedonism. Published in 1890, this novel is a timeless exploration of the corrupting influence of aestheticism and the intricate dance between art and morality. The title alone evokes a sense of mystery and allure, foreshadowing the dark and enigmatic journey that readers are about to embark upon.

At the heart of the narrative is the titular character, Dorian Gray, a young and exceptionally handsome man whose portrait, painted by the talented artist Basil Hallward, captures the essence of his youth and beauty. Dorian becomes infatuated with the idea of eternal youth and makes a Faustian pact—his portrait will age and bear the consequences of his immoral actions, while he remains untouched by the ravages of time.

The novel explores the concept of aestheticism, a philosophy championed by Wilde himself, which emphasizes the pursuit of beauty and the rejection of conventional morality. Dorian Gray, initially an emblem of aesthetic perfection, descends into a life of decadence, indulging in every pleasure the world has to offer without regard for the ethical ramifications. Wilde's razor-sharp wit and satirical commentary on the superficiality of society are evident as Dorian navigates the underbelly of Victorian London.

Wilde's prose is a marvel, a poetic symphony that captures the essence of his aesthetic philosophy. The novel is replete with epigrams and witticisms that showcase Wilde's keen observation of human behavior and society's obsession with appearances. The writing is both ornate and cutting, creating a delightful tension that mirrors the duality inherent in the narrative.

The characters surrounding Dorian Gray add depth to the exploration of morality and corruption. Lord Henry Wotton, a charismatic and cynical aristocrat, serves as the catalyst for Dorian's moral descent. His aphorisms and influence on Dorian encapsulate the allure of a life unfettered by societal norms. Basil Hallward, the artist who initially captures Dorian's beauty, becomes a symbol of the internal struggle between art and morality.

The narrative is enriched by the symbolic significance of the portrait itself. As Dorian's sins accumulate, the portrait undergoes a grotesque transformation, reflecting the moral decay hidden beneath the veneer of youth and beauty. The portrait becomes a haunting reminder of the consequences of a life lived without moral restraint, a visual representation of the soul's degradation.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is not merely a cautionary tale but a profound exploration of the human condition. Wilde challenges the superficiality of societal values, prompting readers to confront the inherent tension between aesthetic pursuits and ethical responsibilities. The novel's themes remain relevant, inviting contemporary readers to reflect on the price of unchecked desire and the pursuit of an idealized, hedonistic existence.

In conclusion, Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" stands as a literary masterpiece that transcends its Victorian origins. The novel's exploration of beauty, morality, and the consequences of decadence remains as relevant today as it was over a century ago. Wilde's unparalleled wit, coupled with the timeless relevance of the novel's themes, solidify its place in the literary canon as a work that continues to provoke thought and captivate readers with its exploration of the eternal struggle between the allure of beauty and the inevitability of moral decay.

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is available in Amazon in paperback 11.99$ and hardcover 19.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 188

Language: English

Rating: 10/10                                           

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

[septembergold]

Don't trust only shiny things. Sometimes, there is hidden darkness.

[smashing-yng-man]

It will always weird me the hell out that people actually decide whether you're a reputable person or not from the sanctity of social media. "Instant gratification" isn't even feasibly accustomed.

[checolorehaunanimabruciata]

ormai qua sopra tre quarti della gente sembra vada oltre l'essere superficiale, cioè davvero madonna raga un po' di personalità(non multiple che fa male alla vostra salute), un po' qualcosa in più che scrivere cazzate dai madonna dio, pensieri un po' più profondi per favore.

[slut4poets]

I know you still see me, but you don’t understand

I don’t think you ever really did

To you I was just a pretty face with high grades

Who liked astrology and gave you validation

The attention you craved

Digging up a hole in myself just to get you gold

A true gold digger you were

But you didn’t steal, it was my fault

I gave too much

Once again

The story repeats itself over and over,

until it ends

[haggishlyhagging]

“Cinderella-Persephone-Psyche also embodies certain other unmistakably feminine traits which many women still possess. I am thinking of traits that men—and therefore women—either devalue or consider unimportant. For example, a certain type of ‘mindlessness’ or ‘superficiality’ (as men see it) exists among many women—which is neither mindless nor superficial. Two women talking often seem to be reciting monologues at each other, neither really listening to (or judging) what the other is saying. Two personal confessions, two sets of feelings, seem to be paralleling one another, rather ‘mindlessly’,and without ‘going anywhere.’ In fact, what the women are doing—or where they are ‘going’—is toward some kind of emotional resolution and comfort. Each woman comments upon the other's feelings by reflecting them in a very sensitive matching process. The two women share their feelings by alternating the retelling of the entire experience in which their feelings are embedded and from which they cannot be ‘abstracted’ or ‘summarized.’ Their theme, method, and goal are non-verbal and/or non-verbalized. Facial expressions, pauses, sighs, and seemingly unrelated (or ‘non-abstract’) responses to statements are crucial to such dialogue. A very special prescience is at work here. On its most ordinary level, it affords women a measure of emotional reality and a kind of comfort that they cannot find with men, and that men do not have with each other. On its highest level, it constitutes the basic tools of art and psychic awareness.”

-Phyllis Chesler, Women and Madness

[jdubqca]

going through the motions

GOING THROUGHT THE MOTIONS #poem #poetry #superficiality #formality

how fare thee well & other pleasantries pass along throughout the social gathering —like in a dress rehearsal each one repeating their lines without fanfare as if in a rut —nobody listening to what the others say all having already read each & every part in the play december two thousand twenty-four copyright j matthew waters all rights reserved

[critical-skeptic]

Plástico

Rubén Blades is an artist whose work transcends time, geography, and language. To call him merely a salsa musician is to miss the profound depth of his message, a message that critiques the human condition with unflinching precision. His 1978 masterpiece Plástico, a standout track on the seminal album Siembra, co-created with Willie Colón, is more than a song; it is a mirror held up to society, reflecting the superficiality, materialism, and moral decay that have come to define entire generations. I was born in 1979, so the song is a year older than I am and still today is as relevant as the few years later when I first heard it in the early 1980s—a song I’m proud to say was one of many influences in my childhood. With biting yet poetic lyricism, Blades dismantles a plastic world of false values and hollow appearances—a critique that resonates just as urgently today as it did nearly half a century ago.

And therein lies the tragedy.

The Timeless Tragedy

The timelessness of Plástico is not a testament to the genius of its creator alone, though Blades deserves every accolade for his clarity of vision. It is also a damning indictment of a society that refuses to change. How is it that this song, written decades ago, could have been released today and still feel painfully relevant? The answer lies in the perpetuation of the very values Blades so eloquently dismantled: superficiality, selfishness, and a pathological obsession with instant gratification. The “pareja plástica” of his lyrics, the couple consumed by appearances and devoid of substance, may have been archetypes of their time, but they are not relics. They are the forebears of a culture that has metastasized, infecting every corner of modern life.

Blades’ critique wasn’t just about individuals—it was about systems, ideologies, and the forces that drive society toward emptiness. The young, plastic couple of Plástico came of age in the era of booming consumerism, when the Baby Boomer generation was rewriting the rules of society. And what did they write? A manifesto of entitlement, wastefulness, and anti-intellectualism. They were the torchbearers of an era that took humanity’s fringe tendencies—superficiality, waste, self-interest—and turned them into the dominant culture. They didn’t just ignore Blades’ warnings; they became the very embodiment of his critique.

A Generation's Legacy of Waste

This is where the timeline becomes especially grim. The Boomers were young when Blades wrote Plástico. They were the ones dancing to his music, oblivious or indifferent to the fact that they were the very people he was describing. Today, many of them remain firmly entrenched in positions of power—political, economic, and cultural. The selfish values they championed in their youth have only calcified with age, shaping institutions and systems that perpetuate the same superficiality, materialism, and indifference.

They are, quite literally, the same people. The same generation that consumed recklessly in the '70s and '80s, ignoring warnings about environmental collapse and societal decay, now clings to their entitlements with a death grip. They have built systems of consumption that replicate their values across generations, ensuring that their mindset continues to dominate long after they are gone. Social media, influencer culture, and the relentless churn of consumerism are not new phenomena; they are the logical evolution of a world molded by their values.

The Death of Accountability

And what of their legacy? Look around. The planet is groaning under the weight of their waste, both literal and metaphorical. Democracies teeter on the brink of collapse, eroded by the very anti-intellectualism that Carl Sagan warned about decades ago. Sagan’s voice, much like Blades’, went largely unheard, his poetic warnings about the fragility of civilization dismissed by a culture too busy chasing instant gratification to care about its own survival. Neil deGrasse Tyson and others have tried to carry his torch, but the message remains the same, as if humanity is caught in an endless loop of willful ignorance.

The Boomers’ failure to heed these warnings is not just a matter of indifference—it is active resistance. Acknowledging the truths laid bare by Blades, Sagan, and others would require confronting their own culpability. It would mean admitting that the American Dream (and its global counterparts) was built on unsustainable exploitation: of resources, of people, of truth itself. But instead of reckoning with this reality, they’ve chosen denial, doubling down on the very systems that created the mess we’re in.

Exporting the Virus

What makes this denial even more grotesque is how it has been exported. The Boomers’ consumerist ethos has gone global, infecting cultures far removed from the suburban sprawl where it was born. The “plastic couple” now exists in every corner of the world, a testament to the viral nature of their values. And yet, for all their moralizing about “personal responsibility,” this generation has shown a remarkable inability to take any responsibility for the world they’ve left behind.

Their entitlement knows no bounds. They’ve taken every last drop of the planet, metaphorically and literally, and still feel justified in demanding more. They balk at the idea of climate action, not because they don’t understand it, but because they know it would mean sacrificing the comforts they feel entitled to. They cling to archaic mentalities, not out of ignorance, but because these mentalities serve their interests.

The Breaking Point

The result? 2024 may very well be remembered as the year democracy and the environment reached their breaking points. The Boomers’ refusal to change—or even acknowledge their role in perpetuating this crisis—has pushed the world to the brink. They are the architects of a system that prioritizes short-term gains over long-term survival, and they show no signs of relinquishing their grip.

Plástico remains timeless not because humanity has failed to progress, but because one particular generation has refused to let it. Rubén Blades, Carl Sagan, and countless others have shouted into the void, their voices as clear and poetic as ever, but their warnings have gone unheeded. The plastic world Blades described in 1978 has not just endured—it has metastasized.

And so we find ourselves here, in a world built on waste and ruled by denial, staring down the collapse of everything Blades warned us about. The tragedy is not just that he was right—it’s that he still is.

[lolathestoryteller]

take off all superficiality, to find that beneath, we are all the same. You’ll see; we are all equal in the end, we always were.

[dragonlizard89]

The Faceless Society: A Thought Experiment

We always hear how our differences add spice to life. They make us stand out in the crowd of billions. I understand all that. But I also get it in my head on occasion a big what-if. What if we all looked the same, and there was no beauty to mask ugliness in the world? No ugliness to mask beauty in the world? What if I walked through a crowd of thousands and there could be no way to discern one person from another other than getting to know them deeply? …I can see myself walking up to a person, a blank slate, excited at the prospect of not knowing what to expect, blinded not by physical features, having nothing to go by but heart and personality alone. At times, there could not be a more beautiful thought in the world. I’d go up to a woman, and we’d introduce ourselves, names obtaining all the more importance in this strange dream world that exists without faces. Perhaps this mystery woman and I will find a nice café and take a seat at the outside tables as it’s a nice day, and chat over coffee and shortly after leave each other there, in an endless sea of bodies, with nothing but a promise to meet again. Only there’d be no discerning each other from the crowd. We’d have to tag each other with tokens of ours to make each other stand out from the crowd. A certain ribbon, a certain favor. A lit beacon, a blinking buoy in the sea of same shade grey. We’d only have the commitment to meet again, at this place, at this time. Perhaps tomorrow. And after a thousand of these little meetings, maybe then we’d know each other truly. We’d learn from what topics of conversation make their voices lilt with expression what their passions are, and I’d trace the contours of her hand on the table that are just the same as every other girl’s and yet so utterly and rapturously different. I’d learn from the little habits here and there of twirling hair and tapping fingers, bad posture, good posture, biting of lips, nervous twitches... Maybe then we’d pay attention.

Of course, that world will never exist. We have only this reality. I sometimes meet great women that make my heart smile at such goodness in the world, those kind acts that suck the pessimism right out of me. And the only thing stopping me from pursuing anything with them are the outside coverings of an unreal soul within. This makes me despise myself more and more for the shallow creature I am, and perhaps there are other people who feel the same as me day to day. It makes for ugliness within this body of mine, something to be cleansed. I can’t grasp at that dream world, so I only have my own perception of this world. So, I ask again, what if I weaved my way through the crowd, turning and pausing here and there to glance at one face, seeing nothing to make me build assumptions on? What if I was free to pursue a relationship that was not so bound and gagged by simple biological facts, by facial symmetry and hip-to-waist ratios and distances between eyes and all the bells and whistles that make up the minutiae of that reprehensible thing we call beauty? But wait, I only need to realize: I’m already free to.

I loved a girl with raven-black hair, but not for that raven-black hair. Cut it away, and have me still waiting eagerly at your doorstep.

Copyright Chris Tran

Author’s Note: I wrote this I think back in college, so maybe around 2010. Wasn’t sure whether it was deep or simply self-indulgent.