This is a very difficult question as ideally it would be lovely to be a bit of both, but not too much of either. If you are either clever or good looking usually the world is your oyster. Combine both and you should be laughing, possibly all the way to the bank. After all we all want to have a pleasing face for the world, don't we?. However what or who is good looking is a very personal thing. Still we all have an idea of who fits the bill for us and who doesn't. Of course there are always the exceptions to the rule. Some men, like my Mum used to say, are 'handsome in a repulsive sort of way'. By this she meant that they had that certain something which made them stand out from the crowd. Usually she meant that they were very sexy. What! As a child I could not understand what she meant, but as a woman I do perfectly. It's that certain something, be it sex appeal or charisma, which you've either got or you haven't got. My Mum used this description about a young Robert Mitchum and Victor Mature. You will probably have to be a reader who is a little older to know who either of these guys are.

As far as being clever this could be so much more fulfilling than just having a pretty face. You could achieve all sorts in this world and, if you didn't like your appearance, have the means to improve and change it. This would be down to the fantastic salary that you would be earning as Brain of Britain, for example.

However, personally I like to get on with folks and if you're too clever that can be difficult. In England no-one likes a clever dickey. You could come across as smug, patronizing or just 'not one of us'and end up feeling sad and almost ostracised.

The trouble with either option is that they can be so easily lost. Brain power can diminish with age and illness. Often it is very intelligent people who cruelly suffer from dementia in later life. Good looks likewise with age or due to an accident may not last forever. Fair enough you could have plastic surgery but your looks will never quite be the same again.

So basically I cannot choose between the two but would like to be a bit better looking and a bit more intelligent without being too much of either, though.

Learn more about this author, Ethel Smith.
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