Common People

 In our family we have a phrase that we use to describe those people that are obviously better than the rest of us common people, we call them “the beautiful people”. Today I was thinking about the idea that someone can become better than someone else because of his or her clothes, or heritage. While I was thinking about how backwards this notion is, I realized that the only think that separates myself from being a so-called “beautiful person” is my own opinion. I take pride in the fact that I’m not star material and that I probably never will be. While reflecting on this idea I remembered a song from the band Pulp entitled “Common People”. I found the lyrics and official music video to be extremely funny; the girl in the song is obviously an uptown girl who thought it would be an adventure to test out the lifestyles of the lower class.

When I think of “beautiful people” the palace of Versailles in France comes to mind. While we were visiting the palace grounds we stopped by a “small” house that Marie Antoinette had built so that she could live like a common person and escape the fame and stardom that she must of experienced while living at the main palace. Marie called this small cottage “Hameau de la Reine” which translates to The Queens Hamlet. This cottage was very different from the type of life that she must have lived while within the walls of Versailles. When the Queen sought refuge at her peasant life she did everything in her power to make the experience more realistic. She would dress in “common people” clothes and preformed many daily tasks that most would considered unfit for a person of royalty especially the Queen. She would clean along side her servants, and even helped milk cows and collect fresh eggs. Unfortunately the people in the surrounding village didn’t think to highly of Marie’s second life, and in the end she was executed for lavish lifestyle and total disregard for all people.

Marie Antoinette's Hameau de la Reine

 There's nothing wrong with being a common person!