Edited by Olivia Spahn-Vieira
There is no concrete definition of beauty. And that statement is a fact. Everyone perceives beauty as something different, hence why I am declaring this with absolute certainty. You might see beauty as being one way, and someone else may see it as another way. Both are certainly valid. Unfortunately, though, social media says otherwise.
In our modern world, where social media has an influential presence in the lives of women of all ages, beauty standards are being romanticized—and not in a good way. Women are scrolling through pictures of models, actresses, and other influencers for hours and hours, desiring to look just like them. With filters and photo editing apps such as Facetune, enhancing your body or face to impossible standards has taken a toll on many women’s health. I can definitely vouch for that as I, myself, am guilty of using a beautifying app before.
I remember using a beautifying app during my mid-years in highschool. I strived to make myself look unrealistically perfect, spending my time altering all my flaws found both on my face and my body. It was not a healthy system as I began to hate getting my picture taken. Now, I purposely avoid filters and photo editing apps, because I’ve taught myself to accept every single one of my flaws.
From my own personal experience of struggling to see myself as beautiful, I learned that beauty is not superficial. Of course, many women, including myself, feel attractive when we put on makeup and wear a stylish outfit, yet, what truly makes women beautiful is located far beneath the surface. In fact, it is our own confidence and personality that outshines even the cutest pair of jeans or the boldest red lip. A woman’s confidence is an alluring quality, causing a captivating halo of beauty to continuously circulate around that confident woman. Not to mention, a likeable and entrancing personality intensifies anyone’s pre-existing beauty. Those are what creates a beautiful woman—what being beautiful means to me.
I proceeded to ask two of my friends, Lisa and Kayla, to tell me what being beautiful means to them.
Lisa said to me that being beautiful means having a good personality. She explained that while a woman can be attractive on the outside, having a negative attitude and poor personality does not make that person beautiful.
Likewise, Kayla eloquently summarized that every woman is beautiful in their own unique way. She defined being beautiful as being your most authentic self, with confidence radiating both internally and externally. Honestly, truer words have never been spoken.
To every woman out there, I want you to do something for yourself. The next time you look into the mirror, really look at yourself. Look for that inner confidence and let it shine out of you. Look for that gorgeous personality and display it for the world to see. Because when a woman brings out her glowing confidence and radiant personality, the only thing other people will see is beauty.
Now, ask yourself what being beautiful means to you.