“beau·ty
noun
1.
a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.
"I was struck by her beauty"
Above is the dictionary definition of the word “beauty” as told by Google. It is a broad description, saying that anything pleasing to the eye is “beautiful.” To me, it assumes that there are many different ways beauty can look. However, in reality, society has defined beauty as one look only. So who’s eye decides what is beautiful?
Growing up as a female, there is undeniable pressure to be pleasing to The Eye. The journey to becoming ‘beautiful’ was/is different for everyone depending on who you are, how you feel, and whether or not you agree or simply care. For example, I grew up slightly heavier than the girls around me. I had brown hair and brown eyes and my thighs never grew a gap between them. Eventually, I didn’t know a day without sucking in my tummy and considering whether to have a salad or chicken nuggets for lunch in middle school. I was someone who started out thinking I was decently beautiful but soon realized what The Eye found attractive wasn’t anything I possessed. I was someone who cared but didn’t want to agree.
The women and men involved in trying to please The Eye know that there are people who don’t even seem to have to try. Like that one hungover guy in math class who doesn't even brush his hair in the morning, but looks like Prince Charming anyways. Or that girl in your sorority who makes you question how you ever were considered to be associated with someone so stunning, who wears zero makeup. Regardless of how flawless they seem and how depressed they make us strugglers feel, I am a believer that it is a misconception that that guy in math and that girl in the sorority feel they 100% please The Eye. Everyone feels somewhat displeasing to some extent.
So what does Society decide is THE one and only look to be beautiful? For women, It is commonly the unrealistically skinny, hourglass body with a butt like Kim and breasts like Britney. This look includes a perfectly sculpted face, sun-kissed tan skin, and wavy blonde hair that lays perfectly regardless of the weather. A lot of women can’t achieve these things without life-long discipline, and even then, plastic surgery is often the result. Why do we put ourselves through something so impossible?
The answer to the original question, "Whose Eye decide what’s Beautiful?" It is honestly up in the air. The human race decides collectively. We need to remember that The Eye is not Your Eye. Look back at the literal definition for a moment. Look at yourself in the mirror. Look back at the definition and realize you fit every part of the definition. You are a combination of shape and color and form, that undeniably pleases eyes. We are all guilty of following The Eye, whether it be agreeing with it or trying to please it, but to be content and realize your own beauty, is the secret of being beautiful.
