Often, we consider specific people attractive and other people not as attractive. And often, we disagree with other people on who is or who isn’t. which causes me to wonder what exactly defines beauty?

In a book I was reading, I noticed the husband only appreciated the wife when she was wearing makeup. He got mad at her when she wasn’t wearing any. This ongoing pressure to wear makeup all the time made her feel like her beauty defined her as a person. Which made me wonder what exactly defines beauty in people’s eyes. The overall 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”. This definition causes me to believe that beauty is what you make it. Beauty is what you like about yourself or what others like best about you. It is simply not other’s expectations of you as a person (physically or mentally). Beauty is different for everyone since it’s the quality in someone/something else that attracts you.

Beauty is also not just a physical trait. Beauty can be expressed through an individual mentally. Someone’s music taste, intelligence, or even political beliefs could seem attractive to you. This beauty is not based off looks but merely an individual’s personality. This is where that overly used quote, “looks aren’t everything” comes into play.

Beauty is also not only seen in people. You can see beauty in everyday things. Art, movies, nature, etc. are examples of things to see beauty in. The things I see beauty in, my brother might not see the same. It’s different for everyone. Seeing the difference of other’s appreciation of beauty makes me think that beauty is precisely in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is what you make it, not what others tell you to make it.