From Venus De Milo to Halle Berry, the world’s perception of what beauty is and how it appears is ever-changing. The concept of beauty standards change from year to year, culture to culture, and person to person. Yet, the idea of only one type of beauty existing is an insult to the existence of beauty in itself. Beauty exists in various shapes, colors, and forms, but through it all, it is the most beautiful part. When we wake up in the morning and see a reflection of ourselves in the mirror, all we should see is beauty. Still, with the pressures of society and the influence of social media, it can be hard to recognize this, which is why, as the next generation coming up, we need to define beauty for ourselves as something that we attain regardless of what is deemed beautiful in society.
There is so much more to the word beautiful than meets the eye. We can live in a face value-centered world, especially with the internet, where everything we see is micro-analyzed. Looking for each imperfection or flaw, there is so much hyperfocus on the physical. Yet, in hindsight, this physical beauty means nothing without one’s soul, personality, mind, or heart. Beauty exists beyond the physical; it is more than a look or an outfit. It is a combination of everything that makes you exactly who you are. To feel beautiful or to be beautiful means to exist in all senses of the word. Through the good and bad, there exists beauty in it all. That’s why beauty standards are a fantasy. How can there be a standard of your existence? How can there be a standard of how a person should look? In a world of almost 8 billion people, there’s only one form of beauty? It’s not possible.
Calvin Klein models, FashionNova models, and Victoria’s Secret Angels–all of these individuals have been a symbol for beauty or perfection for years. Yet, very few people on this earth look like them. However, as time has gone on and the world has become more inclusive, we have realized that being beautiful means being you. With the rise of inclusivity, it’s obvious to the rest of the world that the belief that we have had for so long that beauty is beauty without the facade of being perfect, having a certain look, or certain style. Beauty is as beauty does; there is no standard for it. As long as you act with beauty, you are beautiful yourself.