Beauty

Something that every person should know, is that they are truly beautiful, whether one says otherwise or not.

Beauty in Modern Society

 

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. “You’re beautiful in your own way”.

 

We’ve heard it all before, and for some reason the words lack the significance they should hold for our lives. People, young and old, have one common goal�"to be successful, liked, or otherwise smiled upon by something or someone else besides themselves. It is highly unlikely that any person can objectively disregard outside pressure or influence, entirely. Man(kind) is naturally a very social and desiring species; no matter our individual preferences, there is something we all want.

 

Now, beauty is something commonly challenged in our modern society. We are open to new styles, and practices, and are filled with bias as to what is beauty and what is not. In some cases, beauty seems to be based upon ethnicity, and in others, the weight of the individual in question�"whatever the details, we are trained to discard some things and hold onto others. But what is truly the meaning of beauty?

 

The most specific definition of beauty is ‘the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else.’ Notice, it doesn’t say blonde hair, or blue eyes, or six-pack, or full lips. There is no limit to beauty.

 

Due to personal preferences of individuals, beauty is many things. One man may prefer for a woman to wear skirts and have her hair down, while another may prefer a woman who wears pants and has a pixie cut�"the style in which the women dress does not negate their beauty, even if the other man does not appreciate it as such.

 

The saying ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ is very accurate, in this case. While we are presented with many things of ‘beauty’, there is no one true form or mold of beauty. We see many celebrities and such who look a certain way, dress a certain way, and so on, and we are told ‘This is beautiful’. However, while these things may be beautiful, they are not the only beauty in the world.

 

Before deeming something or someone ugly or unattractive, consider really what that means. And before writing yourself off as a hideous something, simply because of one opinion, think about what beauty truly is. Everything is beautiful, because nothing is unappealing to all eyes.

Author's Note

As per usual, reviews, responses, and critiques are very welcome.