Bella Figura: Beauty vs. Efficiency

So, one of our classes is designed to disect the Italian way of life and analyze every aspect of it. As a result, I find myself judging every encounter I have through the lens that class has provided me. At first it seems a little bit shallow but I then I remember; they are doing the same thing to me. It is a part of the Italian way to make a judgement about a person in even as short of an encounter as passing someone on the street. It is hard to believe (and scary) that every Italian that I have passed walking around Florence thus far has come to some sort of conclusion about who I must be. What makes it even more difficult is that none of us have the language to provide a good first impression (which is particularily difficult for a group of nerds like us who consistently use language to our advantage).

Another reason we don't fit in here (as well as in London) is that Italians are so damn stylish! After travelling around Europe for 10 weeks and washing our clothes somewhat sparingly you can imagine what kind of state we must be in. I realize, through my class, that Italians are not all about Gucci and Versace but the fact that nobody wheres jeans or tennis shoes does not bode well for us at this point in our European endevor. It is a struggle...

The class we are taking is called Bella Figura (translated literally it means: to make a good figure). It has to do with a philosophy that permeates all of Italian culture. It is the idea that one must make good first impressions, be nonchalant, and not be superficial. The idea about not being superficial is one that we encounter a lot. Italian salespeople are very very different from American. American salespeople are taught very early on in their careers to put a smile on their face and that "the customer is always right"; this is not the case for Italians. They will talk on their cell phone, straight up ignore you and they are not afraid to act irritated if you are being a tedious customer (for example if you do not speak Italian they are particularily prone to becoming irritated in most instances).

From my perspective the way Italians act could possibly be contributing the their lacking in economic terms. It may seem like a quick judgement but the fact that they are more concerned about beauty than efficiency can only work against them. Making a good impression is important but it takes more than that in the long run. An example that I heard of was an Italian flight attendent being one of the most attractive women anyone has ever seen but she never once stopped to see if the customers needed help. Some of the customers were even afraid to interupt her as she walked down the aisle because it looked like she was on a catwalk modeling her uniform. This is exactly what we are learning about. The fact that the airline hired that flight attendent over all of the other applicants is an Italian signature. They are more concerned about the beauty of their flight attendents, than in how effective they will be at their job. This is a philosophy that seems to be very pervasive in Italian culture and I have been very aware of it since my arrival.

I am enjoying myself very much here and, possibly lucky for me, my family does not fit into the mold of the stereotypical Italian. My initial observation is that it may be better to vacation in Italia than live in it. That way you are here just long enough before the good firsts impression wears off and Bella Figura becomes utterly obvious.

Judgementally Yours (my class made me act this way!),

Lee