[HappyTuesdays]

Thanks for all your comments.

Ladysycamore - I quite agree. The net is just one of many places where etiquette dictates dialogue - and ultimately meaning - by assuming certain restrictions: particulary with regard to the 'tone', or perceived intention, and whether the individual or theme adheres to existing values/preconceptions.

Undertoad - what can I say. I have no idea what I will be like in 10/20 years time, or even if I'll still be on this planet. However, I do agree with your comments, and in an era of mass-consumption where image-altering devices like make-up and plastic surgery are not only accessible but ubiquitous, is it any wonder women (and increasingly men) have been reduced to a snapshot? First impressions, we are told, take just a few seconds (as demonstrated by a few comments here...?) and people perhaps unsurprisingly feel the need to condense themselves into a 'visual soundbite', first - in order to be noticed, and second - to be appreciated.

Russotto - quite right. But they would still have to have a high IQ.

Lumberjim - thanks for the support, and isn't it funny how just a few comments on a website can affect people's feelings? Are we really that fragile that sticks and stones are finally becoming redundant in this age of information and reduction of real human contact? Personally, words affect me more than anything else, maybe because by their very nature they are laced with intent (malevolent or otherwise), and there isn't usually much room for ambiguity.

Just one thing - if there is one person here who can claim to never have been influenced by an image or first impression then I take my proverbial hat off to you. It has been claimed that we use this and other means of simplification to help us make sense of the world. So if you had to be judged on one thing - what would you like it to be?