Rethinking Beauty
We are all in pursuit of beauty— to possess beauty, to have beauty, to be beautiful. However, beauty means different things to different people. The notion of beauty has changed over the years to mean and take shape through different means; what was considered beautiful in the past might not be in current times and vice versa, also varying by the various cultural, societal, and personal perspectives. Beauty is in the physical, emotional, and mental realms.
Empty Meanings
They said that our noses are too big, our lips are too small, our eyebrows are too thin, and our faces are too round. We have trapped ourselves in an understanding of beauty that has dismembered our bodies into parts in an attempt to clumsily stitch together a new being— one with a different nose, new hair, new eye color, new teeth, new skin color, and the list goes on. This is not merely some monolith.
The advent of globalization and the spread of communication devices have exposed us to images, products, and beliefs about beauty ideals that are usually conformist, and above all, they are empty. They are hegemonic ideals continuously perpetuated by popular culture, created to fit into someone else’s perception of beauty. This system is designed to be binary, either you fit a particular description or you don’t, and based on that, beautiful or not.
Consume and Conform
As we strive to meet the afforementioned standards, we risk losing our individuality, suppressing the unique qualities that make each person beautiful in their own way. We have succumbed to the notion of trying to change every single aspect about ourselves, striving every day to create a faker version of the reflection in the mirror than the day before. We have become machines, hardwired and programmed to do two steps every single day: consume and conform.
Day by day, we engage in this cycle, tirelessly attempting to craft a version of ourselves that conforms more closely to what we consume. Our reflections have become ever-evolving fabrications, synthetic portrayals of who we think we “should” be. This has caused us to lose touch with the genuine, unfiltered essence of our being.
Redefining Beauty
It is in no way a negative thing to be inspired by others, but to be solely consumed in a narrow and harmful understanding of what one should be isn’t healthy for our growth as individuals.
It’s of paramount importance to recognize the danger of the trajectory of the path of a hegemonic understanding of beauty which compels use to surrender our authentic selves. By resisting this urge to succumb to the materialistic existence, we reclaim our individuality and true beauty.
One must realize that true beauty extends beyond the surface and cannot be confined to norms or expectations. Beauty is complicated, and it encompasses so many different dimensions of our being. Embracing the differences and the uniqueness that makes us… us, and celebrating our individuality redefines beauty, allowing us to appreciate each feature that each person holds.
Conclusion
The evolving definition of beauty calls for a reevaluation of our perceptions and a rejection of empty ideals. As our world becomes more complicated and globalized, we must strive to redefine beauty beyond conformity, embracing the uniqueness inherent in each individual.
