And I also think that women have an advantage over men. When I get up in the morning, I am seriously hideous, but a little make-up and some hair changes and I think I look HOT. I think women can be made to look very beautiful through the magic of make-up and such. Weight plays a factor for some, so that might not appeal to all men if a woman is a little curvy, but your average woman of an average weight can usually be made to look pretty if she has the right tools. Thus, I think it looks like all women ARE hot on television. I imagine if you saw these stars w/o hair and make-up, some would be VERY plain.
That's one perspective. Another perspective, though, is: why is it a woman considers it necessary to hide her "real face" to be attractive? Is that really an advantage, when you look at it?
As far as weight playing a factor for some, from what I've seen real men tend to prefer young over thin. I know the models of the world are quite popular to look at, but "real" men, from my experience, don't want a woman who is that little fun (can't really have fun with her if she's eating a lettuce leaf a day and always obsessed with looking thin).
But any man finds it thrilling to have a younger woman flirt with him.
Maybe it's pure survival instinct: the old "must spread my genes among as many healthy woman as possible. And maybe that's why the men I have met in real life perfer a healthy look to an ultra-thin one.
As far as advantages in the theater, until recently the VAST majority of roles in a play or a film were for men. Just look at the older movies (and plays) and unless it's a "specialty" story, more than half (often FAR more than half) of the cast are male.
I can't tell for certain, as I am not a really avid modern-movie follower, but that trend seems to be fading a bit. With some exceptions. But television at least seems to be more balanced.
And as far as the casting the beautiful, a real Star-Trek nut (er, I mean fan
) friend of mine from high school and college heard something about casting extras, and the "rules" they follow in doing so.
Basically, height was the big thing. To keep costume-making to a minimum, they want extras who are all about the same height. I found that interesting.
And in general, yes, I agree that the "not-so-bad-looking" tend to have an easier time getting cast. Not that the odd "person with a face with character" isn't cast, but it's usually a specialty role (where you want someone who looks gruffer or more down-to-earth, or plain).
Anyhow, just my thoughts. The casting of the beautiful is something I just decide to accept a long time ago. Once again, if the script is good and the characters interesting, I find I don't think about it much.
