Judging Others By Their Appearance
May 2009
 
The Susan Boyle Effect

Episode one of this years Britain’s Got Talent catapulted hitherto unknown scot Susan Boyle into the public spotlight. When Susan,  looking undistinguished, middle aged and plain with unfashionable hair, a dowdy dress and bushy eyebrows, stepped onto the stage, it was easy to see that the public and judges alike had decided there was zero chance of her having any talent. Judging her purely on appearance, they found her dreams to be like Elaine Page laughable.

I would have thought that in our politically correct society, we would have afforded her the respect that is due to each and every individual, simply because they are a human and thus entitled to basic dignity .... even when the individual is not youthful, beautiful or rich.

Such disrespectful treatment of a woman who was simply trying to change her unfulfilled life and realise her dream is worthy of censure and self introspection. The prejudices displayed against Susan are equal to racist, sexist or homophobic tendencies that most of us try to keep buried, while not really addressing the root of the issue. What we all witnessed was the manifestation of a universal human urge to mistreat others that we deem somehow “below/less than” us.

However, when Susan open her mouth and triumphantly sang a rendition of “I Had a Dream” from Les Miserables, she became an overnight sensation. Why? I believe that it’s because no one expected it from someone who looked like her. As Pierce Morgan said ‘Without a doubt that was the biggest surprise I've ever had in 3 years on this show”.   Amanda Holden went a step further stating, "I know everybody was against you" adding that the experience was "the biggest wakeup call ever".  Later Simon Cowell admitted 'I'm totally guilty, I'd be the first to admit that I judged her on the way that she looked and the way that she walked on stage ... I was made to look very, very stupid in front of 200 million people... So if your watching  (to Susan) I apologise!  I learnt a lesson from that."

Within two weeks,  following the airing of her audition, she went from minor oddity to major celebrity. There were 1,199 mentions of her name in newspaper stories, more than 50 million YouTube hits, making her video clip one of the most watched in the site's history and at least 19 million Google search results. In addition she had offers of dinner with Piers Morgan and a duet with Elaine Paige. Beyond our shores A-listers Demi Moore and Ashton Kutche Twittered about her and there were interviews on Larry King Live and Good Morning America. Would she have received worldwide acclaim if she was young, attractive and well groomed? I think not.

Against this background, it’s clear that there is much to admire about Susan Boyle: Her remarkable ability and the selflessness of her life, until recently spent caring for ailing parents. But even without a touching life story and a dazzling talent, standing alone on the stage of Britain’s Got Talent, she merited a little compassion. The hero of Jane Austen’s Emma, George Knightley, put it perfectly as he rebukes the heroine for her disrespectful treatment of a good-hearted but aging, chatty and rather foolish old maid in their village:

Were she a woman of fortune, I would leave every harmless absurdity to take its chance, I would not quarrel with you for any liberties of manner. Were she your equal in situation—but . . . consider how far this is from being the case. She is poor; she has sunk from the comforts she was born to; and, if she live to old age, must probably sink more. Her situation should secure your compassion.