Would you consider yourself attractive? How would you rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10? Be honest, but you can’t use the number 7. Ouch! These are the questions being posed, particularly towards women, by viral youtuber and self proclaimed “image consultant” Kevin Samuels.
With over 500,000 subscribers, the 49-year-old host is stirring the pot with his triggering yet common definition of a high-value man and what a woman must do to attain one. Well what is a high-value man? According to Samuels, this is a person who makes six figures or more. This affluent individual has the privilege of choosing from a variety of women because of their societal status and if women want his time they need to look the part or as Samuels says, "fit, feminine and friendly". Simple enough right? Not so much.
On one episode of Samuels’ show, a young lady calls in seeking his perspective on her chances of dating high value. Samuels has a checklist that he uses to make that determination. He proceeds to ask “ How old are you? Do you have kids? How much do you weigh? What is your dress size? How tall are you?” The caller reveals that she’s a single 35-year-old Entrepreneur with a teenage son. She’s raking six figures herself and is seeking her equal. lf there’s one thing the dating guru dislikes more than anything it’s women with children seeking to date high-value. He then asks her to rate herself from 1 to 10 but she cannot use 7. Keep in mind this is a video call so he can see what she looks like. The caller hesitantly rates her self at a 6. Samuels responds, “well that’s average, and average looking women tend not to get high earning men.” She rebuttals “ well my body is not average but my face..” This statement makes Samuels uncomfortable and it shows. He says to her “ ma’am please don’t make me say it... You’re average looking at best.” It was this statement that caused a social media frenzy.
After this interview, Kevin Samuels became the most hated man on the Internet. He was and still is the source of countless panel discussions On YouTube and audio platform, Clubhouse. As triggering as it may be, it begs the question, where did all this come from? Who developed the standard of beauty among women?
Throughout history women have been subject to the scrutiny of what it means to be “beautiful”. This ranges across cultures and seems to have done more damage than good. Take for example the old practice of binding a young woman’s feet in China because It was seen as a status symbol and a mark of beauty as men thought smaller feet were more attractive, crippling them for life. How about the tribe of Karenni people called Kayan Lahwi in the hills of northern Thailand who wear rings to stretch their neck at unimaginable lengths to make themselves less attractive to prevent rape and abduction. This causes serious neck and back injuries that permanently handicap them.
Then there’s us in North America where the men tend to desire double D’s, no back rolls and a snatched waist unproportionate to the hips similar to the likes of fictional character Jessica Rabbit. These unrealistic standards of beauty have caused women to alter their bodies through plastic surgery which require life-threatening procedures. Remember the show “Botched”?
Well some argue that these are just preferences. Everyone has a right to like what they like right? What what do women like? The general consensus is for a man to be over 6 foot with a full hairline, that’s about it. There just doesn’t seem to be the same amount of pressure on man to preserve their looks as it is on women.
So how do we combat the double standard of beauty? Do we stick to our preferences or do we expand our perspective? My brain hurts.
