Beauty's Definition

    I've always been one to harp on the definition of beauty. It's interesting, when you type "beauty" into Google, this is what comes up.

                               

    I'm not sure how define beauty without calling it subjective. According to Webster, the definition of beauty is, " 1. the quality present in a person or thing that gives intense aesthetic pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind or the senses. 2. a beautiful person, esp. a woman. 3. a beautiful thing, as a work or art. 4. Often, beauties. something that is beautiful in nature or in some natural or artificial environment. 5. a particular advantage." 

     Honestly, I read that and immediately thought, "What the h-word?!". Even the dictionary gives a subjective definition. Who knew?

     On one hand, I want to believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but on the other, I worry that the world is defining beauty from the same perspective - the wrong perspective from the wrong beholder. Does that make sense? How does the world view beauty? Flawless skin, silky hair, delicate hands, long eyelashes, good bone structure, symmetric features, and an hourglass figure tend to be the main criteria defining beauty for women, but the list goes on and on. It seems to me that the common factor between most definitions of beauty is fear. It's a fear of exposure; a fear to be seen or known. Why do we fear that? Why do we fear imperfection? Why do we fear that we may be imperfect? Isn't that essentially the same as fearing that we are human? Imperfection is a fact of life, the sooner it's learnt, the better. The key to accepting imperfection begins with the self, and further, the self's motives.
     Our motives differ because each of us have different goals. There are two extremes to finding acclaimed beauty: external satisfaction vs. internal satisfaction. The way that we view ourselves is reflected through everything we do. To someone who feeds on external satisfaction, extensive measures are taken in order to receive the acceptance, praise, and love from those around them. To someone whose motive is internal, the opinions of others is irrelevant. The biggest difference between these two motives is the amount of love that one has toward themselves. A person whose knowledge of their potential, value, and importance; who's confident in who they genuinely are, is the person who loves themselves. They believe and know that they are beautiful. In opposition, a person who doesn't really know who they are, isn't very confident, and doesn't fully understand the value that they could put forth, exemplifies an act of self-loathing. Simple enough, right?
     I'm trying to differentiate between apathy and contentment. Apathy may even be too strong a word to use in this context because there is still a desire to be beautiful, it's the hope that's gone. Contentment, even, could be too strong due to the fact that each person views contentment differently. Another subjective term...who saw that one coming? What I'm trying to get at is that I am not an advocate of quitting. There's a huge difference between contentment with a desire to improve and victimizing oneself without trying to improve, but still claiming contentment. Understand? Someone making themselves the victim by focusing on all the physical attributes that they lack and, because of this, eventually give up at trying to look their best is not the attitude I condone. However, the person who is content with their appearance and puts forth the effort to preserve that appearance, that is the person whom I admire. As we are human, we desire to be the best that we can be. We need only harness who we are. Everything comes back to how we view ourselves. Some things we can't change, but those minor issues fade to nothing when we develop a genuine love for ourselves and recognize the irrelevance of the way others define beauty. So, though you don't care, I'll tell you what I've come to find as my definition of beauty.
     Beauty is vulnerability. There is something to be said about a being willing to expose themselves and endure the reactions of the world. A teacher whom I admire, once told me that the scariest part of life is, after you create, releasing your creation for the world to do with it what they will. The confidence in yourself, the love for yourself, and the immovable knowledge of who you are becomes so evident once you humble yourself enough to be vulnerable in your strongest armour. To throw yourself into the world, to me, is one of the most beautiful things in life. Not everyone will like us nor will they all understand us, but by understanding ourselves, loving ourselves, and knowing what it is that makes up our being, we are beautiful. I can barely scratch the surface of what I see as beautiful, but I hope that what I'm trying to communicate makes sense. I, personally, deem vulnerability as a crucial aspect of beauty.
     Beauty is in the mind and the heart, everything you are on the outside is a mere reflection.

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her finger through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you will never walk alone."

~ Audrey Hepburn's beauty tips