The Impact of Super Hotness

So, Matthew McConaughey is super hot. He’s the kind of hotness that makes a person wonder what it would be like to be around someone that good looking. Like, does it feel as surreal as I think it must?

I was watching ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ and that thought just kept going through my mind. There’s this scene where he’s hanging out with his movie family at their home, and everyone else is normal — not bad looking, just normal — and in my head I’m thinking, what must it be like to have someone that good looking in the family? If that is your son, what in the heck do you think? Does it strike you every time you look at them? Or does it become just routine?

And here’s the rub. I think my husband is really good looking. He’s the kind of guy who is looking better and better as he gets older. He’s got the bones for ‘distinguished’ and the face for ‘weathered’ wrapped up in one — just like a great pair of leather loafers don’t look ratty as they get older, they just look right. He just looks right, like he’s always been ready to be 40-something and his age is just catching up with his body.

So, I’m not looking at Matthew with a wistfulness. I’m not longing. I am simply curious. What is it like when you are that far out of the normal range? I guess the same thing must happen with intellect, or sports ability, or any other attribute. But looks, well, that one is the most observable. Do you think Matthew’s more normal friends and family feel awkward? Do they feel stunned by him walking into a room in something as normal as a t-shirt and jeans?

I’d love to find a way to ask the question without seeming like a stalker. I am seriously curious. Even in my most outstanding qualities, I don’t feel like I am so far out of the normal range that anyone would feel like I was noteworthy. Certainly, in the looks category I am remarkably average. I am confident that even in my glamour shot moments there are no double takes happening. Since I’ve never experienced it, I really just want to know, “what is it like?”

I’m racking my brain to think of one person in my network that is smoking hot. Matthew McConaughey hot. Because now I really want to know. I’m sure that is weird, but there it is. What is it like to be so ridiculously good looking that it is an issue for everyone — even your family? How do you manage to not become a prick or a pariah or a peacock? How do you remain grounded? How do you find people who are capable of looking beyond your looks to understand the deeper person?

And, what percentage of those 1% looks people do you think manage to survive being there? What percentage end up in healthy relationships with a balanced point of view? Statistically, does it change the outcomes? Did my being average in looks increase the likelihood that I would be happy?

I bet it did.

So, I’ll give a silent thank-you to the genetic gods that made my DNA cocktail. And, if I get a chance to ask Matthew the question, I will. Or, I’ll get a big hug from him and find out if super hotness feels any different, too.

You know, for research.