The Hot Convict with the Teardrop

“Beautiful in my opinion has nothing to do with looks. It’s how you are as a person and how you make others feel about themselves.” – The Notebook of Life

The title of my blog is misleading. I do not think the convict with the teardrop is “hot” as many others do. However, as I was a psychology major in college, I found the topic to be intriguing. When the news popped up on my Facebook feed, I checked out his story.

The gang member had dark skin and piercing blue eyes, which is usually a striking combination. But his eyes were mean. The more I stared, the more my stomach turned. I love blue eyes, but his were cold. Thus, I did not find him attractive. As I had yet to read the comments or his story, I based my opinion solely on his picture. I wondered what all the hype was about.

I clicked on the fake Facebook page someone created in his name. His pictures were even less appealing. I went back to the main picture and scrolled through the comments. The women kept talking about his beauty. They seemed to forget his bail was set at $900,000, and he was a gang member.

One of the comments said the teardrop tattoo under his eye is a symbol of murder. Although the “hot” (not in my opinion) convict had this tattoo, his sentence details did not include murder. Maybe he committed murder; maybe he did not. I do not have enough evidence to say.

The hype made me question how we think as a society. Do we value beauty enough to ignore the fact that this man was convicted of a felony? And not just any little crime, but one bad enough to land him with a $900,000 bail. I wondered if there are a lot of desperate women who are willing to overlook anything to be with a man they perceive as beautiful. These women did not even know him; they were solely commenting based upon his appearance. If these women were friends of his, I would have understood their sentiment as everyone has issues.

I stared at the picture some more. I wondered if I would find him appealing had I not known he was a convict.  Was I too quick to draw conclusions? After all… “innocent until proven guilty.”

Note: I had once worked with an ex-con, and I listened to all of his crazy stories. He did not scare me, and I knew he had changed. When I met him, he was gentle on the inside despite his intimidating appearance. I did not judge him for his past. 

I think people give off an energy, and subconsciously we pick up on it. I think this energy is what draws us to certain people and repels us from others. The vibe we feel is difficult to explain, but it just is and it is usually correct. I decided my distaste of this man was based off of the vibe I got from his picture. I waited to read about him until after looking at his picture as I wanted my opinion to be determined by what I felt rather than the information I would be fed.

I wanted to explore this topic a little more, so I mentally made a note to blog about the “hot convict with the teardrop.” I wrote this title in my blog drafts and put the “hot” convict out of my mind. Until…

Until the day I had lunch with a few co-workers. As we were walking to my friend’s car, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed. I read how the “hot” convict was offered a modeling contract. I was flabbergasted so I asked my friends if they knew the story. Of course they did. To my surprise, they were on his side. Now I was really confused.

On the way back to the office, we debated. Two against me. They both found him attractive and gave him the benefit of the doubt. They saw a modeling contract as an opportunity for this man to change his life. I, on the other hand, was disgusted that he was being rewarded for bad behavior. I argued his bail was way too high for his crime to be minor. I argued his look was cold instead of attractive. Their opinions did not change, but neither did mine.

Both of these women are married, strong, successful and beautiful — externally and internally. They are not desperate, which removed the “there must be a lot of desperate women out there” argument I had contemplated earlier.

Is society driven by beauty even if it is only skin deep? I grew quiet, and one of my friends stated, “It’s okay if we disagree.”

I responded, “I know.”

We had come to a standstill, and my mind was racing. I kept thinking of how powerful a pretty face, a hot body, a certain glance, a smile and/or a picture can be. I also thought about how beauty will only last for so long. The prettiest face will wrinkle; the hottest body will age. Yet, we place so much importance on appearance.

I hope this guy’s “hot” looks will help put him on the right track even though his eyes look too cold for change. I hope my friends are right, and I am wrong. I hope he is ready to choose a good path with the opportunity he has been presented.

I believe in second chances. I believe people make mistakes and if given the right opportunity, they can change. I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt. I know good looks can be powerful. I have seen the media reward horrific behavior and turn very bad people into super stars. I have seen the media put faces of mass murderers on rock star magazines because of their youth and beauty. That is what I do not understand. As a society, are we really that shallow?

Note: I usually provide helpful links and pictures in my blogs. However, this post is not meant to promote this guy. I am only interested in understanding the psychology behind society’s obsession with beauty.

Tags: beauty, crime, Gina Pacelli, hot convict, hot convict with teardrop tattoo, tatto, teardrop tattoo, the hot convict, the hot convict with the teardrop tattoo