MovieChat Forums > Inspector Morse (1988) Discussion > Very shallow, silly question

Very shallow, silly question

posted 9 years ago by Amyels
7 replies | jump to latest

I am a little mortified even to be asking this, but my husband and I have recently finished watching the first season (or series) of this show and are a little confused by something. There seems to be a pattern of homely women being described as "quite pretty," "lovely," etc. At first, we thought Morse and the other characters were being unnecessarily unkind and sarcastic about these women's appearances, but soon realized that the comments were indeed intended sincerely. 1987 is a little before our time; I was a newborn and my husband wasn't born at all, so is it just that people didn't age as well back then? Was that a generation that smoked and drank quite a bit and perhaps that made them appear older and more careworn?

[–] DebauchedSloth 9 years ago

I think it's more that tastes have changed than that people aged badly back then.

The "ideal" man or woman is now younger, thinner, fitter - and with access to cosmetic procedures that were undreamt of 30 years ago.

[–] lilactime2014 9 years ago

It's sad to say that "Normal" people are not deemed pretty enough to get on TV anymore. It's usually from the USA that questions like this appear where even a bog-standard desk clerk on TV has to be a solid 9.0 no room for normal people.

Fortunately the UK is holding back the tide and to a certain extent talent trumps pretty, although the slide towards shallowness is inexorable.

It's sad to see parts like WPC Trewlove in Endeavour having to be drop dead gorgeous. In reality she would have been a normal soul.
'tler

[–] Amyels 9 years ago

This is further indictment against those in the U.S., but that's where I'm from. That sheepish admittance aside, I'm not comparing these women with women on TV or movies here in the States; I don't even watch much besides old BBC miniseries like "Pride and Prejudice" or documentaries. I'm just thinking of how they compare to the people I see on a day-to-day basis. Maybe I just live in a city with a disproportionate number of unrealistically attractive people and my perception is skewed. :P

[–] lawson14 9 years ago

Woman on British TV have traditionally looked normal with all of the normal sags and bags.

[–] chewtoy45 8 years ago

Woman on British TV have traditionally looked normal with all of the normal sags and bags.

Thank God.

I think I'll have a large order of prognosis negative.

[–] Drunkdustmonkey 8 years ago

To answer your question I think it's a matter of perspective. When you're young you find young people attractive. As you age so do your tastes. Here's an example: I'm a huge fan of Star Trek the Next Generation. When I was a teenager Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher) was a mother figure whom I didn't even think about in terms of attractiveness. Watching it now almost 30 years later I'm struck by what a beautiful woman she is. Obviously her appearance hasn't changed, but how I perceive her has.

[–] asiansoup30 (14) 3 years ago

I think the fashion and hairstyles made people look older than they were back then.

I'm guessing the women you're talking about were:

Anne Staveley played by Gemma Jones (Dead of Jericho)
Monica Height played by Barbara Flynn (The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn)
Ruth Rawlinson played by Angela Morant (Service of All the Dead)