We have all heard it. As women, we are told, “It is what is on the inside that matters." We have all rolled our eyes and flashed a sarcastic smile, because of our society, we know this is not true at all.
As a society, we value external beauty as the most important type of beauty, but the problem with a mentality like that is that we fail to realize outer beauty is ephemeral. It does not last, it is not forever, and it is only TEMPORARY!
I was gazing at these tulips (It is pictured in the cover photo.) on campus a few weeks back, because of you know me, then you know that tulips are my favorite type of flower. Anyway, I was admiring them before class and by the time I came back, it had gotten extremely warm, which was not ideal for the tulips.
I came back to find some wilted and dying flowers, and although I was sad, I understood that external beauty is not permanent. In the right conditions certain body types, facial features, or cosmetic procedures can be admired as the pinnacle of beauty. Later in life, whether we like it or not, beauty changes.
In the early 2000's the trend was to have big breasts, between 2010-2014 everyone wanted to have a big butt, and within the past few years people are trying to achieve the "Kylie Jenner body". Now, I am not picking on the Jenner/Kardashian family, but within recent years this body type has become idolized. If I could have that body, I would, but the fact is that it is not real.
The Jenner/Kardashian women have cosmetic procedures to keep their beauty because the body of a woman can change drastically during years of development. It is okay to admire their bodies, but it is also important to always remember that what we see on social media most of the time is not real. It is also important to remember that external beauty is not forever. We will get gray hairs, wrinkles, and other markers of wisdom.
I truly believe getting older also has this regal beauty because it signifies wisdom and life experience. Even if in our social culture aging is not admired, we can learn a lot from women who have aged with grace and have learned to accept their true beauty. True beauty encompasses external and internal beauty. So, your mom was right after all; it is what is on the inside that matters.
Sheetal Tadiparty
Flickr Creative Commons
