yes..perhaps, sadly, 'blandness' is a semi-useful attribute, in so far as it avoids being categorized too much.

"I am still not sure what you mean by "distracting" in any case; her   accent would distract from what she was saying? "

well..*wry grin*..I cannot deny that when I first heard Arianna, I had this brief flashback to Zha Zha Gabor, who used her accent as a tool to emphasize her image... It is refreshing to see ANY pretty, blond woman with that sort of an accent who is able to converse on a wide variety of subject matters, and I still maintain that any woman of that type has her work cut out for her to overcome stereotypes. That is simply how society works. I work VERY hard to judge people by the quality and coherence of what they do & say, but I still have to take a little extra effort to look at Cruz Bustamonte fairly. *shrug* (at least I *DO* make that effort) (and I would have voted for Barbara Jordan of Texas in a heartbeat a few years ago!)

Many people just find it easier to trust and vote for tall, svelte, Caucasian males with 'interesting' hair and simple names...like John Kerry. Why? You tell me! (I am halfway convinced that Dick Gebhart's slicked back hair and 'different' face works against him as a presidental candidate!)

It is not an easy issue to discuss these days, with such wide diversity in the population...everyone is prickly and/or prejudiced about what is right and even discussions are rated for 'political correctness'. I kind of like Mudcat for allowing me & you to compare views and ideas this way...but it sure would be easier if I could issue disclaimers and clarifications a bit faster, hmmm?