Beauty in authenticity

Beauty in the banal is what I like photographing, but I also use flash. Flash is quite an ugly thing, so why take pictures with it? Why am I attracted to the look of its images? I think because its offsets the picture, it brings in a sudden discomfort to the beauty, something slightly noticeable. What makes a good picture? I always say one that entices the audience for longer, that draws them in. For me I think the offsetting of an image beauty does that. Its all well and good looking at a beautifully painted picture in a gallery and thinking "hmmm, yes that looks nice". But how many times in an art gallery , honestly, do you find yourself thinking that and not being drawn in by an legitimate interest in the picture? How many times do you then move onto the next without looking deep into every one?
To put it another way; that painting you have in your living room or corridor or bedroom. When it was first bought I bet it looked beautiful and interesting to you, but how many times do you stop to look at it now on your way upstairs or to sit down in front of the television?
Don't get me wrong I do look deeply into paintings and appreciate the huge amount of talent, I just think they don't engross me enough to want to study them closer, for longer. Say a highly photogenic man or woman appear nude for the camera, would you be surprised or interest hugely? Compared to say a less photogenic man or woman who looked like an average person you'd see on the way to the shops? Malcolm Mclaren talks about the 'Karaoke Society' in his speech here - http://www.openculture.com/2011/12/malcolm_mclaren_authentic_creativity.html
How being normal in this age is to want overnight stardom, not stick through hard graft for something you want. He also comments about beauty in the authentic society is different from the Karaoke society. By introducing a less attractive person into the mix it would upset the social norm and the 'karaoke society's' ideals, therefore causing an against the grain image. I am protesting against the ideals in the image, but at the same time the image couldn't survive without the ideals of the karaoke society, an interesting concept.