Do looks matter? X users are obsessed with a handsome man who tried to look like a terrifying pirate. He joins a long lineage of glamorous figures on the wrong side of the law.
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Yemeni pirate becomes surprise heartthrob
Do looks matter? X users are obsessed with a handsome man who tried to look like a terrifying pirate. He joins a long lineage of glamorous figures on the wrong side of the law.
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Smooth criminals
Rashid al-Haddad just wanted to be feared. When the wild-haired YemeniFrom Yemen, a country of nearly 33 million bordering Saudi Arabia on the Arabian peninsula. influencer posted a TikTok clip from the hijacked cargo ship Galaxy Leader, he planned to boast about HouthiThe Houthis represent a Shia Muslim minority, but have won support from other Yemenis dissatisfied with the government. piracy in the Red SeaA seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean. To its right is Saudi Arabia, to its left the coast of north Africa..1
His post blew up. But not for the reasons he had intended. Social media users flocked to comment not on al-Haddad's message, but on his physical beauty. Some XA social media network, formerly known as Twitter and owned by Elon Musk. users even dubbed him "Timhouthi Chalamet" after the actor Timothee Chalamet.
Al-Haddad might be a risk to lives. He has spoken about "longing for martyrdomDying for a cause. ". There are photographs of him dressed in military attire holding an assault rifle. But people appeared to care more about his face than his words.
This would-be pirate is just the latest in a long tradition of deeply serious people whose beauty has outshone their passions and beliefs.
Appearance often trumps action. Take Che GuevaraAn Argentina Marxist revolutionary, who was a major figure of the Cuban revolution. He died in 1967. . The Argentine revolutionary is one of most instantly recognisable faces in history. But more people know what he looked like than what he did in his short, action-packed life.
Even serious publications have an obsession with looks. A New York Times profile of Chilean student activist Camila VallejoA Chilean Communist Party politician, who rose to prominence during student protests in the early 2010s. described her as "a BotticelliA 15th-Century Florentine artist best known for his The Birth of Venus and Primavera. beauty" before mentioning her remarkable achievements.
Sometimes charm makes us overlook terrible crimes. Jesse JamesA 19th Century American outlaw, bank and train robber and gang leader. was a murderous, racist robber. But countless westerns depict him as a heroic outlaw. Criminal couple Bonnie and ClydeAmerican criminals who travelled the United States during the Great Depression. killed 12 people during a two-year burglary spree. But cinema and song immortalise them as beautiful, doomed lovers.
Looks can have a huge impact on how people view us. Actor Paul Newman was called the most handsome man in Hollywood. He saw his beauty as a lifelong curse that restricted the roles he could play.2 But he also admitted that it gave him "a kind of power".
Humans use looks as an instant way of learning about someone. Striking beauty often gives us a positive first impression.3 As psychologist Robert Cialdini says: "We automatically assign to good-looking individuals such favourable traits as talent, kindness, honesty, and intelligence."4
Outside certain specific areas such as acting, others say the importance of looks are overstated. Our views of people hugely change once we get to know them. "Beauty is only skin deep," wrote the 17th Century courtierSomebody who is in the royal court as an adviser to the monarch. Thomas Overbury.5
Beauty does not go hand-in-hand with greatness. The laws and wars of Napoleon BonaparteThe French military commander and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. transformed France and the world. In his life he was famous for his unremarkable appearance. Many see Winston ChurchillThe British prime minister during World War Two, and later from 1951 to 1955. as a hero for his role in World War Two. Few would call him a looker.
The appearance of artists such as Jane AustenAn English novelist most famous for writing Pride and Prejudice. or Ludwig van BeethovenA German composer and pianist. One of the defining figures of Western classical music. is irrelevant. It is their work that made them famous, and their work that survives today.
Beauty can even be a handicap. A 2017 study found that people think less attractive scientists are more competent than their beautiful peers. Looks do matter - but not always in the way we expect.
Do looks matter?
Yes: It is a truth universally acknowledged that humans are obsessed with good looks. They stick in our mind. We value actors, models and musicians for them. It is cruel and unfair. But so is life.
No: Attractiveness has little connection to power, influence and success: just look at today's world leaders and tech executives. It does not make people happier or fulfilled. And it fades with time.
Or... Rashid al-Haddad's accidental viral success shows that appearance can have a startling effect. But it is just one factor in the incredibly complex range of ways in which we judge people.
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Keywords
Yemeni - From Yemen, a country of nearly 33 million bordering Saudi Arabia on the Arabian peninsula.
Houthi - The Houthis represent a Shia Muslim minority, but have won support from other Yemenis dissatisfied with the government.
Red Sea - A seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean. To its right is Saudi Arabia, to its left the coast of north Africa.
X - A social media network, formerly known as Twitter and owned by Elon Musk.
Martyrdom - Dying for a cause.
Che Guevara - An Argentina Marxist revolutionary, who was a major figure of the Cuban revolution. He died in 1967.
Camila Vallejo - A Chilean Communist Party politician, who rose to prominence during student protests in the early 2010s.
Botticelli - A 15th-Century Florentine artist best known for his The Birth of Venus and Primavera.
Jesse James - A 19th Century American outlaw, bank and train robber and gang leader.
Bonnie and Clyde - American criminals who travelled the United States during the Great Depression.
Courtier - Somebody who is in the royal court as an adviser to the monarch.
Napoleon Bonaparte - The French military commander and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars.
Winston Churchill - The British prime minister during World War Two, and later from 1951 to 1955.
Jane Austen - An English novelist most famous for writing Pride and Prejudice.
Ludwig van Beethoven - A German composer and pianist. One of the defining figures of Western classical music.
Yemeni pirate becomes surprise heartthrob
Above deck: One X user said of al-Haddad: “He can board my ship anytime”. Glossary
Yemeni - From Yemen, a country of nearly 33 million bordering Saudi Arabia on the Arabian peninsula.
Houthi - The Houthis represent a Shia Muslim minority, but have won support from other Yemenis dissatisfied with the government.
Red Sea - A seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean. To its right is Saudi Arabia, to its left the coast of north Africa.
X - A social media network, formerly known as Twitter and owned by Elon Musk.
Martyrdom - Dying for a cause.
Che Guevara - An Argentina Marxist revolutionary, who was a major figure of the Cuban revolution. He died in 1967.
Camila Vallejo - A Chilean Communist Party politician, who rose to prominence during student protests in the early 2010s.
Botticelli - A 15th-Century Florentine artist best known for his The Birth of Venus and Primavera.
Jesse James - A 19th Century American outlaw, bank and train robber and gang leader.
Bonnie and Clyde - American criminals who travelled the United States during the Great Depression.
Courtier - Somebody who is in the royal court as an adviser to the monarch.
Napoleon Bonaparte - The French military commander and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars.
Winston Churchill - The British prime minister during World War Two, and later from 1951 to 1955.
Jane Austen - An English novelist most famous for writing Pride and Prejudice.
Ludwig van Beethoven - A German composer and pianist. One of the defining figures of Western classical music.