Dear Grace,
Would you say there is a hotness requirement at Pepperdine? That is, do you think there is some sort of unspoken beauty threshold one must cross in order to go here?
Sincerely,
Seeking Words of
Affirmation
Dear Pride Before the Fall,
You clearly hold yourself in high esteem if indeed you tend to agree that what your question insinuates is true about Pepperdine’s student body. Surely you would not submit such a question if you had not observed an unnaturally elevated beauty mean around campus. Your unreasonable arrogance aside, I will attempt to approach your question objectively, without prompting skeptical glances toward my own rather homely head shot printed above this very article.
It’s no secret that the women of Pepperdine represent a particularly well groomed, generally aesthetically pleasing demographic of our nation’s female young adult population. At risk of heavy protest, however, I must submit that the men here at Pepperdine are slightly less appealing to the senses. While of course there are particular gentlemen whose physical appearances are vastly more breathtaking than a large majority of males, ladies at Pepperdine have additional tools at their disposal with which to cultivate distinct outward beauty, tools not available to young men.
Those tools available to females are inextricably linked to the lofty median income common among Pepperdine attendees. Indeed, women are more capable of altering their appearance through the careful allocation of funds, whereas men are offered fewer avenues through which they might buy themselves a prettier face.
With enough money at their disposal, the girls of Pepperdine might purchase a new hair color, an air-brush foundation applicator, whiter teeth, a deeper tan, prescription acne treatment, astronomically expensive hair cuts, $50 lip gloss, hair extensions, personal trainers, and of course, an extensive, outrageous wardrobe comprised of just the right clothes. Men, regardless of how much money they might have, are limited in their purchased beauty potential by the much smaller pool of aesthetic products available to them.
Thus, we have identified the source of Pepperdine’s gender aesthetic beauty discrepancy. This truth I hold to be self-evident: beauty is available for purchase.
Finally, the men at Pepperdine have less motivation to look good. The women on campus are constantly battling the worsening male/female ratio. With approximately 10 girls vying for the attention of two boys, one of whom is typically gay, what reason do boys have to work out, shower, or brush their teeth? None.
