Thursday

On the effect of weight on aesthetics

We are all voyeurs at heart. If not, then I am a voyeur and speak only for myself.

My home is a five-cigarette walk from the college. (Consecutively smoked, of course, although four if one is smoking superkings - which nobody should as they are vulgar.) With the current weather we are having it is not uncommon to see men walking round in minimal clothing, such as a vest, wifebeater, or even nothing at all covering their upper body. I sometimes slow down in these circumstances and extend my walk by one cigarette. There are many boys in tracksuit bottoms with shirts slung lightly over the shoulder, peaked caps darkening their eyes to a mysterious end. There are many boys in joggers an skinny fit T's.

However, I got to thinking about our appreciation for the beauty of others when a boy of similar age to me rode past on his bicycle. I like watching people riding bikes, although I would never do it myself; I have far too much pride. They have a swift, healthy image, and the motions of riding such a thing push the mind to all sorts of depraved musings.

This particular person was an exception to the rule. He did not look fat, but he was, by no stretch of the imagination, thin. However, his skin was spotty and pallid, swept with sweat, and I suspected him of having the plague. And yet his countenance was one of indifference to his ugliness.

The displeasure in seeing him did not come from any faetures of his, in fact his face seemed well-structured with an acceptably placed nose, eyes, mouth etc. but I was shocked at how unhealthy he looked, and I half expected him to drop dead from the exercise.

The skin is the most important thing. After all (unless you're very lucky) it is the largest organ. Skin-on-skin contact is near-impossible to avoid in any sexual encounter, and the quality of someone's epidermis is very telling.

Sweat should glisten on the body. The Greeks used to think that the highest form of beauty was the exercising, nude boy, and indeed the product of exercise - perspiration - is very evocative of the sexual act and has great power to excite. It is not attractive to look as though you are sweating out a Big Mac and Fries.

Sweat must glisten, glow, and shimmer. Sweat is masculine, beautiful, natural.

I have decided that there is nothing unattractive about fat people. Do not reject someone's advances based on their weight, do it based upon the quality of their sweat.

Wednesday

The Silence of the Lambs

While Goodreads.com provides an excellend forum for discussing books, I just want to urge anyone who reads this to leave this site immediately, go onto Amazon and order a copy of this fantastic book. I have also just finished E.M.Forster's novel 'Maurice', which is also highly recommendable.

Tuesday

The first auspicious step into the world of blogging.

Well, hello!

In this series of blogs I hope merely to express a few ideas on Philosophy, Art, Politics, Love, Current Affairs. Basically I am wiping up every important thought that I find worthy of sharing with this blog or "thought-flannel".

I do hope you will all enjoy reading, discussing, spitting with rage or humming with self-satisfaction at finding someone out there (or here) who shares with you something you thought unique to you.

I quiver with anticipation at the oceans of possibilities,

Yours,

Robert.