From birth we are encouraged to be drawn to beauty. As a child, we think everything is beautiful. A great way to think but as we get older our views of what beauty is changes. We allow society inch its' views into our minds. What we thought was beautiful before...isn't. We are molded into someone's idea of beauty. Not only our outside but our very thoughts. Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.
What is beauty? Beauty defined is:
The quality of being physically attractive
The qualities in a person or a thing that give pleasure to the senses or the mind
A beautiful, pleasing thing or form
So, by definition, beauty is subjective. What may be beautiful to one person is not to another. However, here is the rub, society has deemed to dictate what is beautiful and what is not when by the very definition of the word, beauty is as perceived by the viewer. Why? Why have we, as an individual person with our own thoughts, views and beliefs, allowed society tell us what to think, feel and believe when it comes to how a person looks?
"beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" A quote that first appeared in the 3rd century BC in Greek. In 1588 Shakespeare quoted:
"Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, tho but mean,
Needs not be painted by flourish of your praise
Beauty is brought by judgement of the eye,
Not uttered by base sale of chapmen's tongues"
Benjamin Franklin quoted in 1741:
"Beauty, like supreme dominion
is but supported by opinion"
All of this has a point. That point is, why have we, as a society, stated what beauty is and is not? Why do we have children as young as grade school dieting, wanting to wear makeup, to dress like the Kardashians? Why do we have women nipping and tucking whatever they can in order to remain young, youthful and what they see in magazines? Why are teen girls being bullied because they aren't "beautiful enough"? Why are teens committing suicide because they aren't what the magazines say is beautiful. Why?
What has happened to us? We are using apps to edit photos, blur out imperfections and create a person that we aren't. I am just as guilty of editing. We all are but at what point do we have to get to before we stop and realize we aren't plastic? We are human. We are imperfect. Why can we not be perfectly imperfect and see the beauty in the imperfections?
~Live your imperfect dash.
What is beauty? Beauty defined is:
The quality of being physically attractive
The qualities in a person or a thing that give pleasure to the senses or the mind
A beautiful, pleasing thing or form
So, by definition, beauty is subjective. What may be beautiful to one person is not to another. However, here is the rub, society has deemed to dictate what is beautiful and what is not when by the very definition of the word, beauty is as perceived by the viewer. Why? Why have we, as an individual person with our own thoughts, views and beliefs, allowed society tell us what to think, feel and believe when it comes to how a person looks?
"beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" A quote that first appeared in the 3rd century BC in Greek. In 1588 Shakespeare quoted:
"Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, tho but mean,
Needs not be painted by flourish of your praise
Beauty is brought by judgement of the eye,
Not uttered by base sale of chapmen's tongues"
Benjamin Franklin quoted in 1741:
"Beauty, like supreme dominion
is but supported by opinion"
All of this has a point. That point is, why have we, as a society, stated what beauty is and is not? Why do we have children as young as grade school dieting, wanting to wear makeup, to dress like the Kardashians? Why do we have women nipping and tucking whatever they can in order to remain young, youthful and what they see in magazines? Why are teen girls being bullied because they aren't "beautiful enough"? Why are teens committing suicide because they aren't what the magazines say is beautiful. Why?
What has happened to us? We are using apps to edit photos, blur out imperfections and create a person that we aren't. I am just as guilty of editing. We all are but at what point do we have to get to before we stop and realize we aren't plastic? We are human. We are imperfect. Why can we not be perfectly imperfect and see the beauty in the imperfections?
~Live your imperfect dash.
This is why I take and post very few pictures of myself. I've been told my entire life I'm not photogenic, so I just don't do pictures. It really messes with the head, all the shit we're told.
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