Hotties.

First and foremost - happy birthday, Pete! And sure, if you want to go there, we can call Pete a hottie.

But what I'm really writing about tonight is a discussion that was kicked around a bit this evening at a little birthday get-together held in my buddy Pete's honor. Somehow discussion of reality shows and whatnot came about, and there was discussion of not only bachelor/bachelorette programming, but also "The Girls Next Door" which, from the little I've seen or heard of it, has to do with floozies milking Hugh Hefner for as much as they can all the while behaving like vapid airheads.

In the course of this conversation, statements were made about how all males, if they were given the option, would opt for a model/centerfold type beauty. Granted, this is strictly in a vacuum, so finances, personal interests, and the man's looks are not a factor. Still, I can't help but disagree. Yes, it's almost impossible to discount personality and all that jazz, but I still don't know that if I found a stone cold fox who loved the same music I did, was a die-hard A's fan, and had an apartment that I could live in for free that I'd necessarily choose her over an "unconventionally attractive" girl who could offer the same things, but chose chunky glasses and Chuck Taylors over Louis Vutton and some Manolo Blahniks.

That probably comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me. Anyone who has spent significant time out with me, especially at bars, ESPECIALLY at bars in the Mission, all know my "type", but here's the thing that makes me very curious: can you separate someone's overall look from how you categorize them? Or, in the end, do the clothes really "make the man"? If, starting tomorrow, I moussed up my hair, bought all designer jeans, got a spray-on tan, and wore unscuffed white tennis shoes, but still played in the same bands and read the same books, would people still think the same of me? Granted, I'd see myself in the mirror and try to kick my own ass, but still. What about finding some cutie in a hoodie and skinny jeans that only wanted to talk about the last episode of Oprah or who the latest star created by American Idol?

Yes, these are extreme examples, but I hope if nothing else that this posting has made you think a moment or two about your aesthetic. In the end, what you like and what you are like tend to go hand-in-hand, but it's just something to be cognizant of when seeking out members of the opposite sex...