Saturday, July 21, 2012

Yesterday, I began a two-part blog about what constitutes true beauty.  How everyone has hang-ups about their appearance.  How the media drives the frenzy to look beautiful—the media’s version of what true beauty is.  In addition, I tapped on how people’s self-images are often led by comments made by others.

As a result, we have perfectly healthy individuals literally starving themselves to death, suffering from other self-inflicted eating disorders and also allowing doctors to carve them up in order to obtain the unobtainable—a perfect body. 

But beauty doesn’t originate on the outside.  Instead, just as my girlfriend realized once rid of her abusive husband, it begins with a series of single thoughts that bubble up from deep within a person.  Some of those are self-led.  Others are the result of compliments received that boost a person’s moral and self-image.  Still more are a fusion of the two.

I wish with all my might that the media would cease the assault, as I view it, on how people should look.  What ideal beauty is.  Is an actress who’s spent thousands of dollars on clothing, hair, makeup, plastic surgery etc, not to mention all the photo editing that’s done to enhance her looks, any less lovely than a “simple” peasant out on the plains?  Or a native of Africa, gliding through life au-natural?  Is a burn victim unable to be beautiful simply because of some terrible tragedy?  I say, no. 

I believe on many occasions those who the media doesn’t focus on are the most stunning individuals.  They’re the ones who make me pause and take a second glance.  Why?  Simple.  If you take your time looking at people one thing becomes abundantly clear.  Beauty, real unadulterated beauty, radiates from within a person.  From there, it has to find a way out.  And it does. 

Next time you’re in a crowded area, take a few moments to view those around you.  Which ones have an extra bounce to their step?  An energy that’s not explained but draws in the onlooker?  Who that you view stands out from the crowd?  And why? 

I believe beauty transcends more than what a camera can capture.  Yes, looks can be appealing.  But beauty that effervesces from deep within a person, bubbling up like the magical bubbles in a champagne flute, that’s the beauty that calls to me.  It’s a mentality the individual has, a positive vibe, an energetic bounce to them that makes me view them as beautiful.  Looks, their physical appearance, that’s secondary.  To me, how a person acts, treats others, views life and whether they have a positive or negative energy, those are my markers for measuring beauty.  I wish the media would share and highlight that view.