Beauty and the beast: the problem with 'Average Joe'

A perfectly tanned, blonde ex-pro-football cheerleader strolls gracefully down a beach in slow-motion, her hair tousled in the sea breeze and her skimpy bathing suit accentuating her toned body. \nThe rest of the commercial goes on to explain that this dazzling beauty, Melana Scantlin, is the unwitting star of NBC's newest reality dating travesty, "Average Joe." This beauty expects to meet her Prince Charming; instead, NBC has set her up to meet the beast.\nThe potential Princes Charming on this dating show are unconventional heroes in this salacious world of television hook-ups. They are not exorbitantly rich. They are not conventionally handsome. They are not stylish. They are, however, bald and overweight. They are "average Joes." \nThrough this newest incarnation of a favorite limb of the reality television monster, pioneered by "The Bachelor" and particularly "Joe Millionaire," NBC suggests it is out to prove even the average guys deserve to get the sexy women once in a while. Beauty is only skin deep; what's on the inside matters most. And anyone who suggests otherwise is vain or shallow.\nThese are all valid sentiments, but "Average Joe" is far from proving them. The advertisements for "Average Joe" are a case in point. They seem to suggest this beautiful woman will have to realize the inner beauty of the men from whom she must divine her soul mate. All the while, the commercials exploit Melana's physical allure in the suggestive Baywatch-esque shots of the bikini-clad beauty walking on the beach.\nNo matter what the outcome of the show, Melana will come out looking shallow for eliminating the less attractive candidates. The hard fact is, however, that to choose a potential partner based, in part, on a level of physical attraction is not shallow. Attraction is a vital component to any romantic relationship, and to ignore this basic human instinct is narrow-minded. \nInner beauty is vastly important, and no matter how attractive someone is initially, perceived outer beauty can fade or augment based on personality and character. However, it is unfair to judge Melana for eliminating those "Joes" to whom she knows she can never be attracted. It is not shallow; it is human nature.\n"Average Joe's" inherent hypocrisy lies in the fact it touts Melana's outer beauty while emphasizing the inner beauty of the potential dates. The fundamental problem with the entire premise is its seeming support of the accepted image of the perfect female. Women must be physically beautiful above all things: above intelligence, above integrity and above personality. The latter traits are, of course, appreciated when present, but only in combination with the requisite beauty. \nThe television sitcom "The King of Queens" provides a good example. Kevin James plays the husband, delivery man Doug Hefferman, a decidedly "average Joe." His wife, played by Leah Remini, is both beautiful and brainy, a "spitfire legal secretary," as the Sony Pictures "King of Queens" Web site describes her. Several episodes revolve around Doug's career troubles and his wife's love for her kind and honest husband, despite his economic failures.\nSuch a situation is a television standard, and NBC has exploited it yet again with "Average Joe." My question is this, however: Why are there no "Average Jane" reality dating shows or sitcoms? If people are supposed to be so selflessly focused on inner beauty, why do men have the honor of being the sole possessors of this admirable attribute?\nIt seems almost ludicrous to think of such a scenario. Let us put 15 middle-aged, overweight, average women on a reality dating show. Let them vie for the affections of a male model or ex-football player. And let us ask ourselves why this suggestion sounds ludicrous when we see television women to do the very same thing every day in reverse.\nThe fact is, people like to watch beautiful people on television. And reality dating shows would not be popular if both the bachelor or bachelorette and the contestants were not easy on the eyes. The presence of Melana's beauty on this show is understandable, but why aren't we talking about her inner beauty, too? \nThe average television viewer gets to experience a world full of average Joes and Janes every day in the real world. Both men and women must look for others' inner and outer beauty in our own quests for love every day. The makers of reality television must realize that they are not portraying "reality" on staged dating shows featuring alpha males and females vying for each other's attention. They are simply selling unrealistic expectations to the real average Joes and Janes.