Facing Realities

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The mingling of face and temperament raises the question of whether the two co-evolve or one produces the other. Was John Kerry's hangdog face responsible for his sodden campaigning? Did Richard Nixon grow his shadowy stubble, or did his shadowy stubble grow him? The British weekly New Scientist has touched on this, exploring what is known as nominative determinism--the common case of people whose names echo their jobs. There is the director of penal reform Frances Crook, the marine biologist Steven Haddock. American culture has been rife with such synchronicity--pitcher Rollie Fingers, Senator George McGovern. "Are these whimsicalities of chance," Carl Jung once asked, "or the suggestive effects of the name?"

If names drive careers and faces drive personas, we should have sympathy for politicians consigned by countenance to personalities they might not have chosen. As the midterm elections end and presidential hopefuls look ahead to 2008, there are perils for both the lovely and the unlovely. Those easy on the eye should take care not to overstate the point (MITT ROMNEY: MORE SYMMETRICAL THAN EVER!). Those with aesthetic hurdles should consider whether it's finally time for that eye lift or chin tuck. Remember, candidates think of November as a time to face the voters, but for the electorate, it's often a time to vote the faces.