She hits the ball well, Anna Kournikova does, not that anyone really notices.  When fans describe her as the "hottest" player on the professional tennis circuit, they're not talking about her serves.  They're talking about her curves.

When the 20-year-old Russian is playing, the stands are packed with young men -- and only a few are watching tennis.  The rest are keeping their eyes on Anna and her body, the reason so many American men are glad the Cold War is over.

Some fans have no idea who's on the other side of the net, for they'd rather not move their binoculars.  They couldn't care less if Anna's playing Venus Williams, Serena Williams or Robin Williams.

These fans may not be tennis experts, but when Anna is down 40-love, they understand exactly why she has "love."  And they want to give her more.

If you think they're dumb, consider this: They're smart enough to remember Anna's measurements.  And if that doesn't impress you, here's more proof of their intelligence: they
know how to spell "Kournikova."

Anna has never won a major tournament, but few of her fans care.  After all, she looks good losing.  And looking good is often more lucrative than playing well, as Anna's agent has happily discovered.

Got a car you'd like to advertise?  Anna will look good driving it.  Got a cereal you'd like to promote?  Anna will look good eating it.  Got a book you'd like to sell?  Anna will look good pretending to read it.

Poor Anna.  She can't help it that she's so cute.  It's not her fault.  She was born that way.  So if you want to blame anyone, blame her parents.

At least in tennis, looks aren't crucial.  You can get to the top -- win Wimbledon and other championships -- even if you look like Koko the gorilla.  (Just don't expect Nike to offer you a bunch of bananas.)

The same can't be said about, say, jobs on television. Paula Zahn, the CNN anchor, was recently offended that a promotional ad called her "just a little sexy."  But truth is, if she weren't "just a little sexy," she might soon find herself "just a little unemployed."

It isn't happenstance that Katie Couric, Deborah Norville and other television personalities are attractive.  Even male anchors like Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw are rather handsome -- or so I've been told.

If television seems discriminatory, take a look at the music industry.  Record companies want to market not just good voices, but also fabulous faces.  Without her looks, Britney Spears' career would quickly fizzle.  She'd be singing "Oops, I did it again" after spilling fries at McDonald's.

So what do you do if you have a great voice but not a great face?  Simple.  You join the church choir.  Or try the karaoke bar.

Our obsession with looks even affects politics.  If you want to run for president, you'd better not look like William Howard Taft.  He was U.S. president from 1909 to 1913, but that was before the invention of television and the creation of Slim Fast.

If this obsession continues, People Magazine may soon have competition for its annual "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" issue.

Newsweek: "50 Most Beautiful Politicians in the World."

Forbes magazine: "50 Most Beautiful Billionaires in the World."

Catholic Digest: "50 Most Beautiful Priests in the World."

National Geographic: "50 Most Beautiful Orangutans in the World."

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