What is beauty?

This is, ultimately, a question that carries both positives and negatives. We live in a society that is collectively run down and empowered by preconceived notions of beauty. Those who fit the descriptions.

Beauty is a subjective term that cannot be applied to any sort of look or being. The media tells us that in order to have worth in your self, you must abide by the rules and find yourself physically appealing by the rules they've set. Conformity breeds this rigid guideline that in turn, tears down more people than it aims to please. When you deviate from the norm, it can be seen as almost a dangerous act. Where do you go to if you look differently than those everyone considered beautiful? How much does comfort play in the intertwining nature that is the race to youthful vibrancy?

Artists have sought to discover new forms of beauty through differing styles. "Pretty" is in the eye of the beholder. Where one person may love the aesthetic of pointillism, another could only see the purpose of discussion to be for the Romantic era. There are over seven billion people on this Earth, each one with unique preferences and appreciations that have yet to be discovered because of the fear to break out from the roles of society. Is conforming for beauty inherently a bad thing then? Should we condemn those who follow through the lines of what we've all been exposed to? Not exactly.

Makeup is topic of heated debate in regard to whether some consider it art or an emotional crutch to cope with an "unfavorable" look. In the rawest of answers, it can very much be both. Makeup is an art form that changes how we look at ourselves and what type of people we are. The amazing capability that those who find their passion in makeup behold is pretty much astounding. Blending and shaping and coordinating colors and shades and hues is art. Perfecting straight lines and meticulously placing eyelashes on a small strip of skin is a feat that few have the patience for. There is, however, the dark side of makeup that causes others to rely too heavily on it in order to see themselves as desirable or worthy of the attention they give themselves.

So what is beauty?

Choice is beauty. Laughter and happiness and self-acceptance is beauty. Being able to look back on your life and knowing that you did things for the sake of your own peace of mind and not for any one else's misguided judgement. Knowing that you are worth the world and every positive thing it offers. That is beauty.

Even if beauty is not the goal, comfort creates inner beauty that makes life worth living to the fullest potential imaginable. I hope that each generational reincarnation can grow to be strong and tall and see everything about themselves and their choices to be beautiful. Being alive and taking control of your life is beautiful.