The moralistic phrase is one that has been running through my mind frequently these past few days. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Not only does it pertain to the obvious--books--but of course, to other matters of life. For example, me. There is nothing that makes my blood boil more than stereotyping. (Well I'm sure I could name a few more things, but I won't.) Granted we all do it, we're human, it happens. But sometimes the ignorance people display through it completely baffles me.
Let's start with a few examples.
Remember that stud,
Mr. Wickham? You know, the strapping, young soldier from Jane Austen's,
Pride and Prejudice. He wooed all the girls right off their feet, including young Lydia Bennet. Sure he was respectable, honorable, and what not. After all, he was a militant
and easy on the eyes, not to mention charming. Oh yes, but he was also a conniving, greedy little bugger as well. Under all his facade and woo, he was nothing more than a money hungry bastard. Strike one for appearances not proving accurate.
Who's next? Ah, let's discuss Mr.
Edward Cullen. Yes, the one from the ever popular
Twilight series. Here we have the cold skinned, blood drinking, undead vampire. The accused is supposed to hunt on the living, violently killing to feed his thirst, letting nothing stop him or get in his way. Ha! Ed is nothing more than a hopeless romantic, a vegetarian, if you will (he only drinks the blood of animals), and is madly in love with the innocent and humble Bella Swan. Strike Two!
Lastly, I'll give you a classic. Everyone knows her.
The White Witch from
The Chronicles of Narnia. Even her name portrays a false exterior. Not that I know much about Wicca, but a "white" witch is normally one who practices good magic. So here comes along the White Witch, zapping Turkish Delights out of her wand and luring little boys into her dark, sinister fortress as if it were an amusement park. What's beneath her snow white skin and alluring looks? Only an evil, Satanic like woman who turns innocent people and creatures into stone with a flick of her wand. OK, strike three, you're out.
So what do these appearances-not-being-all-they-seem have to do with anything? In short, I'm tired of them.
Why are people so shocked when I tell them my favorite band is
Nirvana? Or why is it that I get looks of bewilderment when they hear my
Jimi Hendrix ringtone? How about the fact that I'm an English major, adore books, and plan to write for a living; yet people are absolutely stunned by this. Point blank. They stereotype me. Do I have to look like
Courtney Love to appreciate 90s rock? Or be a 61 year old hippie to listen to
The Beatles and
Janis Joplin? Must I act like a complete "geek," wear oversized glasses, and dress up in
Elizabethean clothing to portray myself as an English major? I don't think so. Let's think a little outside the box, shall we?
Clearly, appearances are not all they are cracked up to be. Much like the characters in my favorite novels, I've been judged faster than a slandered woman in a Shakepspeare play. I mean, I've even been stereotyped for my boyfriend's ethnicity. (Another reason why people are mystified by my taste in music). He's Hispanic so supposedly he's only to like...what? Rap? Funny story, I'm pretty sure he likes Pearl Jam and Lynyrd Skynyrd more than me. Strike one million and one for those damn stereotypical people. I think we need to start taking a deeper look before we judge. Or as they say, and yes I will say it, don't judge a book by it's cover.
Really? Have they really taken Jane Austen's classic, Pride and Prejudice and transformed it into a zombie tale? Not that I'm not into contemporary literature, but must they destroy the classics by adding a dash of Night of The Living Dead to a beautiful romance novel?
