The Voice

For many years I've been aware that people are often treated differently based on their looks.  Most of the time good-looking or attractive people are treated better than ugly or unattractive people.

A 'plain' woman with mousy brown hair and frumpy clothes won't get the time of day, while men and women will practically bend over backwards for a pretty blond woman in form-fitting clothes.  It is a fact, and although everyone thinks its unfair, most of us do it anyway without really thinking about it.

That's why I absolutely LOVE the show "The Voice".  Singers hoping to impress the judges must do so with only their voices because the judges can't see them.  The judges' backs are to the stage where the singers belt out their best so the judges CAN'T be influenced by the singers' appearance.  Its absolutely the most fair way to evaluate their singing.

I remember watching audition after audition on "American Idol" and being dumb-founded by the 'attractive' singers who progressed through the audition despite their pitch problems, while some really amazing singers were cut from the competition because they didn't "look like stars".  Oh please!  A Professional Stylist can make anyone "look like a star" but they've got to have the goods to back it up.

On this week's episode of "The Voice" there was this very attractive young man named Dez Duron who already looked like a star, with his fashionable hair and symmetrical good looks.  

Yet none of the 4 judges picked him based on his voice.  Once they saw him they all wished they could change their mind.  Christina kept smacking her button to choose him but it was too late.  That would NEVER have happened on "American Idol".

So I'm becoming more and more interested in the results of this new(er) show since it seems much more fair.  They aren't looking for a model, they're looking for a great singer.