According to dictionary.com the definition of beautiful is: “having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see..” But is beauty something that is only visual? Or is it also something on the inside? Personality, charisma, and other characteristics can make someone beautiful also, don’t you think?
If you ask a group of people what is beautiful, their initial response will probably be, “ugh.. I don’t know?” Yet we do actually know what we perceive to be “beautiful.” The problem is, everyone has their own idea of beauty. Some think it has to do with personality, some feel it has to do with how you look, and some feel it is both.
We all admire stars, celebrities, and models because they receive a lot of attention and always appear to be perfect, but is that really beauty? If someone is airbrushed until all of their imperfections are invisible, does that make them beautiful? Or just an unrealistic view of what we aspire to be?
The media has the greatest impact on us as college students. Every magazine we pick up has a gorgeous woman on the front cover, approximately size 2 with flawless skin. Do we admire her because she is the standard of beauty? Perhaps it is because it is difficult to be thin and flawless in the same way these cover girls are.
Beauty can be a matter of opinion. What may be attractive to one person may not be attractive to someone else. Others may say beauty comes from the inside and radiates on the outside. Temple University student Molly Ferris, who is a sophomore social work major, shares her opinion on what is beautiful. “Beautiful is being comfortable in your own skin,” Molly said. In cahoots with Molly, I agree that in order for someone to love you, you must first love yourself.
So why do we feel such pressure to look a certain way and to be a certain size? If we look back at beauty icons throughout time, they certainly were not stick figures. Women such as Marilyn Monroe were more curvaceous and promoted their physical “assets.” Today we have women such as Kim Kardashian, who we all secretly love to hate. She undeniably has some lovely lady lumps and she works it!
The saying that goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” definitely explains it best. Everyone has their own opinion of what is beautiful. It’s just like asking someone what is their favorite food or vacation spot. Overall, you can’t judge yourself based on what someone else thinks is beautiful. Your own opinion of yourself is the most important.