Beauty is incredibly difficult to define. For some people beauty means symmetry, for some people beauty means to be aesthetically pleasing, and for other, beauty does not have one single definition. Recently, I am finding that I tend to fall in line with the latter perspective, that there is no one way to define beauty.
In my opinion, working too hard to find a definition for beauty can limit your personal appreciation for life. Beauty, like love is something that can be used to describe objects, people, concepts; honestly these terms can describe anything. I find that connection interesting because to me there are many similarities between love and beauty. In my life, finding beauty in everything makes me more loving and being more loving helps me to find beauty in everything. I would venture to say that this appreciation of love and beauty is what drives happiness.
Too many times, I have heard people judge others who are interested in makeup, who have unique tattoos and who, in general, like to express themselves through outward representations such as what they wear. In turn, people begin feeling self-conscious and tend to try to ‘fit in’. When people are trying to fit in, they limit their creativity and live a less adventurous and less colorful life. For me, always striving to ‘fit in’ is a dangerous way of trying to embody beauty. This very belief has helped me come up with my own idea of what beauty means to me.
To me, beauty is found in diversity. Being willing to express your uniqueness is what I find to be beautiful. Sure trends can be fun, but make them your own. Sure makeup can be great, but it is not what makes people beautiful. It is how you express yourself that is beautiful no matter what tools you use to achieve that expression. Being willing to share your diversity and being accepting of others is beautiful. Beauty is not conceded, beauty is not hateful, beauty is not shy, and beauty is not one singly defined concept. Although many might not enjoy my ambiguous perspective on beauty, I think that is exactly what makes me appreciate the concept even more. I can look at beauty in my own way and still get just as much pleasure out of it as someone who sees beauty much differently.
My hope is that more and more people will begin to think about what beauty means to them before they judge others by how they express themselves. We should be constantly evolving, growing and maturing. I know that I will continue to refine my definition of beauty throughout the years, but I also know that it will never be simply defined by social norms and mainstream ideology.
