I have a number of issues with a recent article in the NYT on phenomenon of Susan Boyle ("Yes, Looks Do Matter", April 24).
First, the use of the word "spinster" to describe a single woman over a certain age is sexist and has no place in the New York Times. If anyone doubts this, then just think of the connotation of this word when paired up with the word "bachelor" to describe men.
Second, it makes the implicit suggestion -- as do many of the evolutionary psychology theories -- that society's behaviors are primarily caused by biological factors rather than societal factors, and that there is little or nothing which can be done to mitigate that fact. It minimizes or ignores the very real impact that our society, and especially the mass media, have on our sense of what constitutes beauty and our formation of stereotypes. If the perception of beauty were so rooted in our biology, then how would it explain the wide variations of the perception of physical beauty between cultures -- and between individuals of that culture? Or how perceptions of beauty change often change over time? If we look at American culture and how the perception of female beauty has changed significantly within just the last 50 years, we can see that this is primarily due to societal factors rather than biology.
The fact is that women receive much more pressure than men to fit a narrow standard of physical beauty. Susan Boyle was treated with disdain by the audience because she did not fit within that standard. It was only when she displayed her musical talent did she finally win acceptance and adulation. Now she has been "made over" with dyed hair, makeup, and a new wardrobe -- as though the real Susan Boyle is no longer acceptable for the big time. It is a prime example of how toxic our society is and what it does to women. We would be remiss if we just dismissed this as an inevitable function of our genes rather than taking a good, hard look at our own expectations of women and challenge them -- instead of simply taking the easy way out by blaming it on our DNA.