canny granny

Beauty is really in the eye

These two young men are putting on the ritz (and the heavy make-up) to face the judges. The competition is fierce in the annual Beauty Contest for the title of ‘Mr Sahara’.

Male beauty is a prized asset among the Wodabe tribe which inhabits the fringes of the Sahara.

What is male beauty anyway? Good health which shows in bright eyes, clear skin and strong white teeth. These boys have all that.

They’re also nice and tall like my original Hunk de Jour in an earlier post.

The mothers in Niger begin the beautifying process in a boy’s early infancy, they pull and stretch the little arms and legs out, ensuring long and slender limbs in adulthood.

Sounds a trifle screwy to me, I can’t imagine it working, but who am I to argue with generations of doting Wodabe mothers?

Hunk encore

After the previous post about the sad lack of good looking men to be found in the lists of alleged hunks - I have to show off my family pictures.

My son Reuben turned 30 on the weekend and, thanks to the miracles of modern technology, I can show you a pic of him with his own little son.

The young lady in the photo is not Reuben’s wife/partner but his niece, my granddaughter Hannah. So what you see is my eldest grandchild, and my youngest.

The little fellow’s name is Tien. Amazing isn’t it? The world, which was once so big, has shrunk incredibly, and I am no longer surprised at the blending of people which results in the delightful addition of a little Eurasian boy to my fair-skinned, pale-eyed family.

Hunk du Jour

Last night I watched a replay of a mens’ beauty pageant and let me tell you, the standard of good-looking men is lamentably low. And they were all glossed up, oiled and gleaming! Tell me the truth, are you attracted to some bloke who looks like he rolled around a few times in a large bowl of vinaigrette?

Now here is a real man. No, I am not showing you cheesey pics of male models or celebrity men with hairy chests. No pictures of Juan Garcia Postigo who is famous for having his eyes set way too close together. These days, little beady eyes are considered sexy.

No, I am showing you a genuine hunk. Look at that face. A whole lifetime of living is on that dial. One glance and you know that man has a great sense of humour, pathos, a trusting simplicity and loyalty galore. He’s nice and tall too.

He looks good even when covered in yak hair.