Looks aren't everything! (was:Re: Sirius / Severus)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 86584

 "greatlit2003" wrote:
 Looks aren't everything, it's true. But a good-looking person is 
> > often given a certain amount of respect from the very beginning. 
> We don't know what happened in MWPP's first year, but I'm guessing 
> that kids just were drawn to Sirius because he was handsome and 
> cool. 
> 
> Laura:
> 
> How many 11 year olds do you know whom you would describe as either 
> handsome or cool?  :-)  These are young kids at this point.  I think 
> kids of that age are very aware of when something is physically out 
> of the norm but they have no real way to appreciate great beauty.  
> That's a little trip we take starting in adolescence (a stage I miss 
> not at all!). 

Carol:
I disagree. Having been a tall, skinny little girl with glasses who
liked reading better than jumping rope, I can tell you that from age
five onward kids who are different are picked on and kids who are
"cute" are popular with very little effort on their own part (and get
away with things that other kids can't). Eleven- and twelve-year-old
are already masters of ostracism and teasing. For an example of a
child who was unpopular at least in part because of her appearance, we
need only look as far as Moaning Myrtle.

Snape would have been in much the same position. As long he had older
Slytherins to protect him, he could avoid anything worse than the
confrontations we see between Draco and Harry (which, admittedly, have
no connection with looks), but once Lucius and his friends were gone,
James could hex Severus with (relative) impunity just "because he
exists"--because he's not cool like you and me, Sirius, because he's
skinny and has a big nose and has greasy hair. And, oh, yeah, he's a
Slytherin and likes the dark arts. So he's just a git and he deserves
what we give him. Severus hexed him back, of course, but not because
James "existed." It was because James tormented him and he wanted
revenge. Very few kids in his position wouldn't have retaliated if
they could do so with nothing worse than the prospect of detention if
they did so. When Severus first entered Hogwarts, OTOH, he had no
reason to dislike handsome Sirius of the ancient and noble house of
Black and athletic, popular James other than that they were
Gryffindors. If they had uncharactericteristically offered him the
hand of friendship to Severus, ignoring his looks and all the other
things they found unattractive about him, I very much doubt that he
would not have turned them down. Children need and want to be liked,
and they are seldom liked for their intelligence. It's always looks,
"personality," and athletic ability.  Consider Hermione, who has all
of two friends, and Cedric, who was popular throughout the school,
even with Slytherins. (Cedric was deservedly popular, but that's
beside the point.) Viktor Krum overcame the stigma of unattractive
looks simply because he was a genius at quidditch. If Snape had been
quidditch captain, he might have developed his own following as Krum
did. But being a potions and DADA genius doesn't get you very far in
the popularity department. At least not when your older protectors
have graduated.

Carol
  
Carol