... And this is not a slight or criticism at you, Tosca, it's just something I've noticed in general. Alex was too ugly and hipsterish, now Gad is too ugly and too old ...
Do I cringe when I see photos of Grace Kelly with Oleg Cassini and Princess Caroline with Philip Junot? Oh yes.
^^^^^
So his worth as a person is to be based solely on his looks? Should Charlotte be valued in the same way?
If Charlotte was my daughter I woulnd't mind seeing her with someone uglier or poorer or foreign, or with a woman if that's her taste.
But I wouldn't like her going out that seriously with someone who is so much older than her.
We are only looking at still photos of him. Look at his films, you might fall in love too. She does not see a immobile photo when she is with him, she is talking to and having a relationship with a live person. Personality is a huge part of a relationship. As a matter of fact, everyone here, lets look at one of his films first and then see if your opinion of him has changed. Bet it will
I fully agree wirh you. Charlotte never choose beautiful brainless guys!I also think that Charlotte taste in men is one of the things that speak better of her. She's never gone for pretty and void wealthy socialites. Both Felix and Alex had well furnished heads.
I'm not shocked by Gad's looks. Actually in a way, he looks a lot like Alex, so it is obvious that that's the kind of look Charlotte likes. He also appears as someone funny and clever.
And I think it's stupid to pretend that beautiful people should only date beautiful people.
What makes me cringe about these two is only the fact that they look like father and daughter in every picture of them we've seen so far. My head knows they are not, but my eyes say otherwise.
I didn't want to comment on these last photos because it was the same story again: oh, God, she looks like her teenage daughter, it's creepy!
I just can't help it.
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What does this girl see in that man? Surely he's funny, intelligent, and has a lot of good human qualities, but he looks like her father...
I guess that at 26 years of age one should have got over the loss of one's father. Besides she didn't lack of any paternal figures during her younger years...
One does not have to choose between old and odd or beautiful and brainless. There are attractive and intelligent people out there. Especially for someone like Charlotte, she could have her pick of any male on the planet I would think.
It is not being out of line to want the very best for someone. I think Charlotte could do better than Gad, I thought she could do better than Alex and (here's the important bit, get ready for it) I have often said that no matter who Charlotte goes with I will probably always say the same. I've said the same about Stephanie and Caroline in all of their romantic misadventures. I adore these people and, if I'm going to be honest, I doubt anyone will ever be "good enough" in my book.
I don't see why a girl would find this man attractive (obviously many do) but I have more of a problem with his age (robbing the cradle much?), which is not a little difference it's over a decade of difference, and that he already has a child. He may be a perfectly fine gentleman (for Charlotte's sake I hope he is) and I wish her nothing but the best, but everyone doesn't have to like him just because she does. I also don't care to have my opinion belittled by anyone who has no more reason to like the man than I do to dislike him. A young Grimaldi going with a much older man, yes, I admit, memories of Junot popped into my head too. I think she could do better, and probably always will. I don't hate the man, I don't hold some sort of grudge against him and I'm not worried about it because, even though I've never "approved" of any of her boyfriends I have always been impressed by how steady and serious Charlotte takes her relationships.
And please, just let me say, let's not make this some sort of test in broad-mindedness or who is being more shallow than who. As if people finding Gad unattractive means that 'looks matter to them but they don't matter to Charlotte -that's not the true worth of a person' and so on. If Charlotte wanted to impress me in that area, date someone from the working class with less than a million dollars in the bank -I doubt that will ever happen and it doesn't make me think any less of her, so, I'd just rather not hear any of that sort of talk.
You're right. And she chose Gad.
Let me start off by saying Bones that I completely respect your opinion and understand where you're coming from even. I don't feel the same kind of "protectiveness" for lack of a better word or admiration for the Grimaldis because most of what interests me about them is inherited. However, I do feel something akin to what you're describing for some of my favorite actors. That said, I have to respectfully disagree. When your main gripe with someone is their looks, that's shallow. I'm sorry. There's no other way to put it.
Also, I don't think anyone intended to belittle anyone else's opinion and I certainly didn't mean to come off that way. My own personal stance is that we don't know Charlotte and we don't know Gad. I cannot say that Charlotte "deserves better" because that places her in a position of superiority that I (note the I) cannot agree with. What makes her so special? She was born to a princess; she was born with great genes; she can take credit for neither of these things. More to the point, by saying she deserves "better"--whether you like Gad or not, that's fine, everyone's entitled to their opinions--but what exactly makes him "unworthy"? The age difference is something that makes most people uncomfortable, but where I have to get off is with the "worth" issue. I have trouble saying that one person is in any way "unworthy" of another person. Forgive the cliche, but we're all created equal--rich, homeless, beautiful, and ugly, alike. This idea that Charlotte can "do better" is not flattering to her it's insulting to the person she chooses to be with.
Again, I'm not trying to negate your opinion and like I said, I understand what you mean by thinking that no one will ever be "good enough" but I'm just stating my own personal stance. It's certainly not out of line to want the best for someone, but I just can't get behind diminishing someone else's worth.
For the record I specifically said my main gripe was not his looks, I just don't see why it is broad-minded to have a relationship with a person who is unattractive but not "shallow" to only have relationships with those who are extremely wealthy. My point was that if the one is shallow then so is the other, I thought I made that clear, just as I thought I made it clear that "looks" were not the determining factor for me but, it seems I did not. Hopefully I have now.
As for the rest, I really don't know how I explain something as instinctive and personal as these feelings are. I assumed it was something everyone would know in one context or another. I cannot imagine not knowing the feeling, that you feel different about someone you know, someone you've watched grow up compared so someone you don't and have not. Talking about human equality is fine and dandy but, like it or not, while we all have equal human value and we (should) all have equal rights, we cannot care for everyone equally. To care for everyone is to care for no one. I care about Charlotte, I don't care about Gad (I didn't care for Alex either if that matters). Again, this is hard for me to explain because I cannot grasp someone being unfamiliar with the concept. Let me just assure you (I can think of nothing better to do) that if you had children, you would understand what it means to care more about what happens to some people than others, what it means to want the best for someone and what it means to be constantly disappointed that their boyfriends or girlfriends are unworthy of them. And they almost always will be because, *your* children are (or would be) the greatest most perfect human beings to ever walk the earth and no other children will ever measure up. Because you don't care as much for the rest as you do for your own. It doesn't mean you hate all children except your own, but your own are special to you. If you care about someone you always feel that they "deserve better" even if there is no real concrete reason for it.
That's an extreme example in a way, but it's the best illustration I could think of right off the top of my head to explain something I never expected to have to explain. I could say there are probably really enthusiastic Gad admirers or fans or Gad groupies or something of the sort that might take the same attitude toward him and think Charlotte is not worthy of someone so spectacular as their favorite comic-actor. But I can't say that because I can't imagine anyone thinking dear Charlie is not good enough. Because I care about her. Simple as that. It's not a slam on his human dignity or an estimation of his value as a member of the human race ... I just think she could have chosen someone better. If my own daughter started dating a man 15 years older than her who already had a child of his own, I would not be best pleased. I might come to accept him, might even come to like him but when it is someone you care about you're always going to want something (probably unrealistically) ideal for them.
If I have not said it enough, I will say it again, he may be a fine fellow, I have yet to meet him myself, he may be "Mr Wonderful" in the flesh but I think she could do better. Or, perhaps I should say for the sake of the ultra-sensitive, I think she could find someone *better for her*. That's just my feeling on it, I don't pretend to be un-biased, I don't claim any moral superiority, I don't think anyone who adores Gad and thinks he's the best thing to ever happen to Charlotte and that he's absolutely the one and only man for her are in anyway wrong or putting Charlotte or anyone else down. That's how they feel, I would not be upset for them to be correct. It's just not how I feel.
One is shallow because you're judging people based on physicality which has nothing to do with personality and has no effect on the relationship unless you care about looks. Money and class on the other hand do have an effect on a relationship, and there's no getting around that.
So being of totally different generations has nothing to do with a relationship, becoming a stepmother on your wedding day has no bearing on a relationship but being of the same social background and financial status does? God bless you, but I just can't accept that. Anyway, my point was not what their relationship was based on, my point was just what my opinion is based on as it concerns to what I would like for Charlotte -which is obviously not the same as what she wants.But relationships are not made based on things like looks and age and whether one partner has a child or not.
If that's your view, you are entitled to it but I disagree. Judging people by the size of their bank account seems just as shallow to me as judging people based on their appearance.
So being of totally different generations has nothing to do with a relationship, becoming a stepmother on your wedding day has no bearing on a relationship but being of the same social background and financial status does?
So don't you dare try to act like I've accused Charlotte of being "shallow" here for not dating postal workers. I only mentioned it in the first place only because of the 'holier than thou' attitude being displayed by some commentators that they could look beyond appearance and anyone who criticized Gad was just doing so because of his looks.And please, just let me say, let's not make this some sort of test in broad-mindedness or who is being more shallow than who. As if people finding Gad unattractive means that 'looks matter to them but they don't matter to Charlotte -that's not the true worth of a person' and so on. If Charlotte wanted to impress me in that area, date someone from the working class with less than a million dollars in the bank -I doubt that will ever happen and it doesn't make me think any less of her, so, I'd just rather not hear any of that sort of talk.
I never tried to set down any rules about who could do what with whom. I do adore Charlotte, as I do most all the Grimaldis, but that doesn't mean I have to approve of everything they do or everyone they date. I thought I made that clear, I thought I even cited examples but ... ah, whatever...Anyway, my point was not what their relationship was based on, my point was just what my opinion is based on as it concerns to what I would like for Charlotte -which is obviously not the same as what she wants.