Blogpost 2: Alexandria's Genesis

     Admit it, all of us have somehow dream to be unique. When I was a kid, I wished to have powers, porcelain skin, red hair and most of all, I want to have different eye color. So I decided to study about how to alter a certain part of our body and I stumbled upon what people call the "Alexandria's Genesis".

     The rare genetic mutation known as "Alexandria's Genesis" is a gene variation that causes a person to have purple eyes, shimmering white skin that resists tanning or burning,  no body hair, slowing down or even stopping of aging process, well-developed body, incredible immune system, perfect vision, no gaining of weight and even longer life span of up to 170 years. Also, in most cases, girls that have this mutation would never have to experience menstruation but they are fertile.


     Sounds impossible right? This genetic mutation is actually the best mutation known to mankind but just like how it sounds great, no one ever proved that this disease actually exist.

     I've read a certain article entitled "Alexandria's genesis - a beautiful anomaly or a fallacy that just went viral!" by Aliza Hassan of "wittysparks.com" that tells that us as much as what people say about the disorder, it only appears to be an urban legend. But the very first case of the mutation was on London on a woman named Alexandria Augustine born on 1329. Her parents thought that her purple eyes were cause by possession so they sent her to a priest. Luckily, the priest told them that Alexandria was fine but she has a genetic mutation. The author also said that the reason why the mutation went viral is because of certain Daria fan-fiction website that made up the story of the Alexandria's genesis. She even said that, "The real reason for this astonishingly desirable disorder to go viral was a Daria fan-fiction website. Cameron Miquelon claimed to be the original author of the fictional disorder in 1998 and conveyed her frustration on the huge percentage of people believing the disorder actually exists in a blog post in 2011."

      As I read this, I am actually questioning myself whether this mutation is real or not. When the author mentioned about the Daria fan-fiction, I questioned my belief regarding this disease. Everyone knows how powerful literature is. Anyone can influence others through words and I think that this is the reason behind the mutation's fame.

     Speaking of fame, everybody knows the popular violet-eyed beauty Elizabeth Taylor who died at the age of 79 due to congestive heart disease. She is famed for her astonishing violet eyes and beyond mankind beauty. Believing that she has the mutation, the question is, why did she died at the age of 79? If having the mutation can lower aging process, why did she die young? Also, if having the Alexandria's Genesis can fight any human disease, why did she die of heart failure?

     I read an article entitled "Did Elizabeth Taylor really have the violet eyes?" by Remy Melina of "livescience.com" where in the author explained the reason behind the actress' unusual eye color. She said that there are various shades of blues and grays, with many in-between. Violet may have been Taylor's typical pigmentation. She also made it concrete by stating "Makeup can also "bring out" certain colors in the eyes. Taylor was often photographed wearing blue or purple eye shadow to compliment her eyes' naturally violet hue, or dark brown eye shadow and black eyeliner to contrast against and play up their unique color."

     In the end, the appearance of Elizabeth Taylor actually depends on her make up and how her make-up artists work on her. She might have a different eye color which other emphasizes for the purpose of fame.
  

     So basically, the case of Alexandria Augustine and Elizabeth Taylor are not that believable. They made it up to make people believe the impossible. Having this mutation is a critical condition because it is impossible for people to never secrete waste because the waste will all pile up in their digestive system and that may kill them. Also, the white skin which can never burn is impossible due to the melanin content of our skin. As of now, Alexandria's Genesis remains an urban legend leaving people obsess with the impossible.