What is Beauty: Inner and Physical

The question "what is beauty?" elicits diverse responses. To some, beauty is solely dependent on external appearances. However, for others, inner beauty eclipses outer appearance in importance. It is challenging to pin down a full definition because the concept of beauty is subjective, with everyone holding personal views on what beauty truly means.

In my view, beauty has to deal with how one is like in the inside.The term beauty was originated from Anglo-French beute. It was first known used in the 14th century as “physical attractiveness” and also “goodness, courtesy.” The meaning of beauty also came from several different places including: Old French biaute “beauty, seductiveness, beautiful person” and Latin bellus “pretty, handsome, charming.” Two different trends of thoughts about beauty as physical appearance as well as personality have been formed. The first interpretation of the word “beauty” is seen as outer appearance. For instance, American culture tends to value the way a person looks. That value is transmitted from one generation to the next by families, peers, and media in the process of enculturation. Young children come to adapt ways of thinking and feeling about physical beauty from their families first. The show Toddlers & Tiaras is an example because it follows families of young contestants in child beauty pageants. Contestants’ moms train and force their young girls closely resemble their adult counterparts including waxing eyebrows and wearing heavy makeup. Thus, these young girls are shaped to think that beautiful outer look is the only thing to get them to win and gives them what they want.

Even though outer beauty is dominant, it does not mean that everyone has to agree with that idea. There are people who believe that inner beauty is more important. Sadly, societies nowadays have narrowed down the appreciation of beauty to only visual sense, but we forget that the inside of a person can also determine their true beauty. We tend to judge others’ quickly and harshly merely based on their appearance. For example, a guy with black skin, thick beard, and big muscles is considered violent and fiery. Another guy is seen as cute and trustworthy because he has white skin and a baby face.

Those judgments are not often true because we do not get to know their real inner side. A beautiful looking person with an ugly heart is truly ugly. That person’s ugly personality chases away the people around him or her. As a result, he or she will end up being ugly from inside out. In contrast, a not good looking person with a beautiful heart is beautiful. Inner beauty is considered as personality and morality. They express their inner self by caring and loving other people. Their inner beauty attract and create long lasting bonds with others. Inner beauty is always young, so it covers a person’s aged looking. Despite of being old, a person with beautiful personality will always feel beautiful and happy because there are people who are willing to love and care for them in return. There are people who are perfectly beautiful because not only they own good looking bodies but also have kindness within their hearts. Besides the two traditional meanings of beauty, the thinking about beauty has been altered and extended more overtime. Beauty is not necessary being felt and appreciated by other people because it can be formed within one’s self.

To me, beauty is to overcome your bias against your body, learn to appreciate and love what you’re naturally created with.

Beauty is not only something we see but something we discover, a pretty soul, beautiful thought and beautiful literature. Many people don’t know what beauty is, the beauty is a broad concept and varies from one culture to another and is surrounding us from all sides. It gives meaning to vital things. Beauty can be found in everything, like nature, figurative language and in the person’s behavior and attitude.

There are so many situations where people say ‘beautiful’. We can differentiate between inner and physical beauty by discussing how to a quire, how long they exist and what they depend on. Inner beauty is the beauty emanating from the soul, which appears in personality and feeling. When you one beautiful from the inside, if will reflect in your face. The beautiful person is one who leaves a smile on your face when you remember him. Patience, humbleness, and wisdom are all qualities of a beautiful person inside. Good manners are often related to the Royals. There are certain manners that they have to follow. These manners make them more respected and beautiful.

On the other hand, there are many people who look for physical beauty. The beauty of morality is the same with inner beauty. It is good to deal with people and charity to them and help them. Morals are the basic qualities that prophet Mohammed urged. Physical beauty means appearance, shape and is linked to the body and face. It is the opposite of inner beauty. Many people look for physical beauty, and they pay a lot of money to do expensive cosmetic surgery. There are no objective or consistent measure of beauty. It constantly changes though, there are clear ideas like the lightweight. There is a lot of pressure to stay physically beautiful. Most of the industries or business relies heavily on people wanting to be beautiful. I think it is not all. It is just a reason to attract people.

On the other hand, we can care about our appearance because sometimes it reflects the beauty of our personality.People usually think outer beauty is everything. They forget about the inside. Inner beauty is long-lasting while physical beauty fades away. Inner beauty gives you peace and serenity, unlike physical beauty where you are on a constant pressure to stay beautiful. Beauty is what distinguishes everyone from each other. If the outer beauty attracts eyes, the beauty of morality attracts the heart. Focus on the beauty of ethics, not physical beauty. Try to distinguish by your morality beauty and do not let it be obsession with the outer beauty overwhelm you.

In the end, beauty is very important in our lives. We should seek beauty in everything, not just in how we look. Also, we should focus on how we feel about ourselves not how others see us. Inner beauty can be also reflected in physical beauty. Our skin and eyes show what we feel. It shows how well we feel about ourselves.

Works Cited

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2. Bordo, S. (1993). Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body. University of California Press.
3. Eagan, D. J. (2017). The Social Psychology of Facial Appearance. Springer.
4. Etcoff, N. (2000). Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty. Anchor Books.
5. Kant, I. (2009). Critique of Judgment. Oxford University Press.
6. Nussbaum, M. C. (1995). Objectification. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 24(4), 249-291.
7. Platon. (2005). The Symposium. In S. R. Slings (Ed.), Plato Complete Works (pp. 461-512). Hackett Publishing Company.
8. Scruton, R. (2009). Beauty: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
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10. Wolf, N. (1991). The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used against Women. Harper Perennial.

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