What is Beauty?

          I have been think a lot recently about the idea of beauty. What exactly is beauty? What does it mean to be beautiful? We can look at something or at someone and say "wow, that thing or that person is absolutely beautiful, beauty radiates from them." We say this, but what do we mean by it? What is it that makes the thing or person beautiful? Maybe they are flawless, there is not scratch or imperfection to be found. Maybe they show no sign of weakness or when you look at them they are soft and pleasurable to your eyes. Beauty is such a complex and intricate subject. It truly is in the eye of the beholder. What one person may view as beautiful, another may view as just average. This makes it all the more difficult to try and describe beauty or what being beautiful entails.

          Today's society has complete misconstrued the definition of beauty and what it means to be beautiful. We see magazine covers and television shows that basically idolized these perfect, flawless, skinny and stunning women, and that is what we are taught is beautiful. People look at these women and want to be them because that is what society says is beautiful and if we want to be beautiful we must be a size 0, perfectly toned and have a flawless complexion. The harsh truth is that most everyone will never be like that. I wonder too, if we were to become like that, would we truly be happy? To be that kind of "beautiful," by society's standards, you are always going to have to try harder, give up more of who you are, and stray farther from your true self. It is a never ending cycle. I was shocked when a few summers ago, an adorable perfectly health and fit nine year camper came up to me and said she wanted to go on a diet and lose weight so she could be prettier. Really? What has the world come to if a skinny and precious little 9 year old says she has to lose weight to become more beautiful. It just makes my heart ache.

         Every now and then, I hear a song on the radio or see a commercial on TV about being beautiful that actually makes me smile and think "where has this been all along, these are the things women and little girls need to hear." There are campaigns like the Dove True Beauty Campaign, which is campaign to challenge beauty stereotypes and encourage self-confidence and self-acceptance in women of all ages. This is the video that Dove put out talking about beauty:

         Not only are there videos and campaigns like the Dove campaigns above but there are also song about this idea of true beauty. For example there are songs like "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction, and they talk about all the things that make a girl beautiful and not once in the song do they mention said girl being flawless, yet they talk about how she is shy and insecure and that she doesn't even know that she is beautiful. There are songs like "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars, where a guy is singing to a girl telling her she is amazing just the way that she is and that he wouldn't change anything about her. She doesn't believe him and he said is is sad to think that she doesn't even see what he sees. It's a common thing. Someone will tell a girl or a woman that she is beautiful but she won't believe it. We are our worst critics, we always find something wrong with ourselves, and its no wonder when our idea of beautiful is impossible to reach.

          This who subject is really close to me and is something that we spend a lot of time on trying to teach young girls about at camp. Being beautiful is so much more than just looks. Being beautiful is being confident in your own skin and believing in yourself, and standing up for youself. Being beautiful is being kind and caring. Being beautiful is how you are as a person and how you make others feel about themselves. Being beautiful is being the best version of yourself on the inside and out. It is looking for the good in others, and speaking words of kindness. Beauty is what you believe it to be.

          It took me a very long time and it was a rough journey to get to where I am today concerning the idea of beauty. It wasn't easy but I am finally at the point where I can look at the mirror whether all dressed up or in yoga pants and a t-shirt and can think, "I actually am beautiful." When I say it was a long, rough journey, I am not underestimating a bit. I am sure it is probably this way for most young women. I was always the girl in middle school, high school and even the first two years of college that never thought I was good enough or always thought something was missing, I could always be better. I was told multiple times that I was pretty and beautiful and smart and kind, but there was something within me doubting everything that I was told. Why do we do this? We never believe it when someone compliments us, and we can always find flaws in ourself. Are we scared to believe that we are beautiful? Do we not think we deserve to be beautiful? Do we think that the only way to be beautiful is to look like the women on magazine covers? Our fears are the only things holding you back from being beautiful. Remember, nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful.