Does Physical Appearance Really Matter? (2024)

Does physical appearance really matter? The proper answer is yes. Let me now copy and paste an explanation. "Physical appearance boosts self-confidence and self-esteem. One feels very reassured when other people admire them and prefer to associate with them because they find them very attractive. In certain professions, looks make a lot of difference. A model has to look his or her best."

When I was in the service, we used to talk on many matters to kill time, sometimes jokingly. I had a colleague who was good at storytelling. Most of his narrations were humorous but meaningful. He one day told me that Muhammad Ali Jinnah had a very poor opinion about the physical looks of the Bengali people. He quoted Jinnah as having told him during his visit to Bengal that he had visited so many places in his life but had never seen such ugly people anywhere. I was not sure whether Jinnah had said that or not. Such things are usually unverifiable. At the moment, I took him for granted. My colleague was an ugly person.

There is no denying that the people of the eastern or Northeastern states of India have a different look from the people of the rest of the country. Then someone may ask me what my opinion of people in some southern states is. I don’t know whether Jinnah said anything bad about their looks.

I must confess that the majority of our people are odd-looking. We are no match for the people of some other states. We may be fond of boasting about our qualities by using different adjectives, but in my opinion, all these are fake trappings. We are hollow from the inside.

I don’t have a very high opinion of myself. I hate both my physical appearance and mentality. From whom have I inherited such nasty things? Definitely from my ancestors. And who were they? They were nasty Hindu people who either converted to another religion out of fear or favour. They just changed their colour, keeping intact their physical looks and inherent qualities. They were good chameleons.

Bengalis have been boastful in the past. They used to say that what Bengalis (or Bengal) think today, India will think tomorrow. They almost made it a proverb.

Prior to shifting the capital of British India to Delhi, Calcutta was the capital. The farsighted Bengalis forced them to shift the capital to Delhi. If Calcutta were the capital of India, wouldn’t it make a difference in the lives, thoughts, and livelihoods of the Bengalis and the people of nearby states? Muhammad Ali Jinnah was therefore correct in estimating the looks and characters of the Bengalis.