Beautiful. What does that word make you think of? Or, more to the point, what kind of person do you think of?
It seems that the world belongs to the beautiful ones who merely have to smile while the common folk bow at their feet. But just how powerful is beauty? In our culture, beauty is revered above all else, but the science of what attracts us is still mysterious.
The definition of what each of us perceives as beautiful is as varied as the faces that scatter across the globe. Beauty is merely a combination of qualities such as shape, color or form that are pleasing to our eye. If that’s the case, then something should only need the dimension and tone to be beautiful – like a statue or a life-sized doll. But there is no life or personality beneath the eyes of a statue.
Therefore, it takes much more than a sculpted face and form to have true beauty. So why do we focus so much on the external?
From “Cinderella” to “Grease,” we are all familiar with the stories of people who changed their appearance and were suddenly accepted as one of the crowd. Because why would anyone bother to get to know the person inside if there is no initial attraction to the outside?
People seem to believe that if someone is beautiful, they must be boring or stupid, and by default, if someone is less attractive they must be interesting or smart. Because it wouldn’t be fair if someone had it all, right?
What I mean by this is, people who are beautiful are already worshiped and desired. If you look like you just stepped out of a CrossFit box, why even try to be smart or funny – right?
Truth be told, maybe these mortal deities were unattractive earlier in life, so they developed their brains and their sense of humor in order to stand out among the beautiful automatons around them. Then, when their looks caught up with their personality: voila! An immaculate blend of all things that make someone truly beautiful combined with a matching exterior.
We spend our lives changing the outside, but inside, you are still that same kid that loved climbing trees and suffered or ruled in the halls of high school. All people want is a new confidence that translates into sexual attraction; gorgeous wrapping paper to enhance the real gift which is inside.
It’s amazing what a muscular frame and perfect teeth can add to a person’s desirability. But why? It’s the gift people keep, right? The beauty we wear on the outside is die armor that we use to protect and hide the real beauty that dwells within. It’s not your looks, but what you do with your experience that makes you shine.
So where is the line between what others see when they look at us, and how we see ourselves?
Take a moment and look into a mirror. What do you see? Is it beauty? Every single one of us, no matter what we think of who we are or how we look or who we pretend to be, is filled with beauty. It’s the magic of what makes us individuals. The things we feel we need to hide are the secret to unleashing the prize beneath the polished veneer that we uphold in the light of day.
The old saying tells us that true beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Take a look at your reflection.
Behold, you are beautiful.
