Definition of Beauty

Kari Kukkonen

Mrs. Boresen

Expository Writing, Period: 4

Definition Essay

4 March 2011

What is Beauty?

It is ever-changing, and can be seen in a variety of ways. It creates a social hierarchy, and it is how we see the world. Beauty is everything, and nothing, for beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is beauty, though? Is it a super model? Perhaps it is a new born baby. Or maybe, it is in the mountains. Is it superficial and vain, or is it realistic, honest, and pure?

While trying to find the perfect definition for beauty, I realized that there are so many possible ones, and we all have our own personal ones, as well. According to Dictionary.com, beauty is defined as the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations, a meaningful pattern, or something else (Dictionary.com). According to Webster’s New Explorer Dictionary and Thesaurus, beauty means qualities that give pleasure to the senses or exalt the mind (Merriam-Webster, 42). All of the definitions I found, more or less, described a physical beauty. I believe that there is more to beauty than what is on the outside. Beauty is the moments of pure happiness that make life worth living; A sunrise with your best friend, or a trip to Italy. It can be the places we visit, or the people we see. Most of all, beauty is the stories, and personalities that we all have. It is our history, and it is the things that make us who we are.

Happiness, sadness, selflessness, and our past all create what gives us all beauty. The way we smile, or when we glow when we are in love, and the way we sound when we laugh are things that cannot be duplicated with makeup, surgery, and cannot be faked. They are the things that make us truly beautiful. Everyone can feel beauty, because everyone is human, with emotions, and a story to tell. One must embrace their past and their personal story in order to truly understand how beautiful they are. We must also do the same for others, for you should not judge a book by its cover. Even the bearded lady at the circus and the plain looking person that always sits in the corner has a story to share that makes them beautiful.

Beauty can be classified into so many categories. For many, beauty is the outer appearance of an individual. It is having the right hair color, and looking the way one should in order to obtain “beauty” by today’s standard of beauty. There is also the “beauty pageant” beauty; looking absolutely stunning in a ball gown, hair in an elegant twist, and having makeup to make women look like porcelain dolls. Beauty is in everything, though. The river flowing down the mountain side that never grows weary can be the most beautiful thing in the world. Maybe it is the way the mountains look just as the sun begins to set. The stars in the sky that go on forever are infinite beauty. Beautiful moments such as those found in nature, however cannot be beautiful, unless one such as you, or I share the beauty, and pass on the story.

Beauty is what I see when I look in the mirror, because I know that my physical attributes tell a story about my past. My expressions tell a story, and give me beauty. Everyone has beauty, and we must all embrace it. Beauty always has, and always will be defined by dressing a certain way, and looking a certain way. Throughout time, women and men alike have gone to extreme lengths to be beautiful. Women were willing to poison themselves for beauty. They would pluck their hairline, wear overly extravagant wigs, or even, use lead makeup, just to keep up the pretense of beauty (The History of Hair, Hairstyles throughout the Ages). Again, the social hierarchy of each culture determined who was beautiful, and who wasn't."Beauty is not one's own, but a reflection of one's culture" (Meera). I feel that this quote truly describes how beauty is viewed today, as well as in the past. Today, our standard of beauty is different from the 17th century, but it still remains, that we will always do our best to make sure we are beautiful .History has also seen true beauty, though. If you look at a beautiful society, there is always one individual at the root of it that possesses true beauty. Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Buddha, all influenced society today, and all were beautiful because of their aspirations, and desire to see others in a beautiful light. Today, beauty is long blonde hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. Everyone wants to look like their favorite celebrity, but is this really realistic? As Anna Ford said, “Let’s face it, there are no plain women on television” (Forbs.com). Shouldn’t we aspire to be the kind of beautiful that is real: the beauty that we all have?

Beauty is not defined as the way our hair falls, or the color of our eyes. Beauty is defined as the tears that fall down our cheeks when we are sad, and the laugh lines we receive throughout the years. Our humanity is what gives us beauty. Our personal stories and the journeys we take change us, and make us unique. Beauty is you, it is me, it is that stranger waiting at the bus stop, or the person you see every day. Find the beauty in everyone; ask their story, and learn what true beauty can be. Why do we let the media, and the social hierarchy we've so willingly created determine what our definition of beauty is?

Works Cited

"Beauty | Define Beauty at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free Online Dictionary for English Definitions. Web. 04 Mar. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Beauty>.

"The History of Hair, Hair Styles through the Ages." Hairstyles. Web. 04 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ukhairdressers.com/history%20of%20hair.asp>.

Jain, Meera. "The Cultural Implications of Beauty." © by Serendip 1994-2011, 23 May 2005. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. <http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_cult/courses/beauty/web5/mjain.html>.

"Thoughts and Quotes on Beauty - Forbes.com." Thoughts and Quotes on the Business of Life - Forbes.com. Web. 04 Mar. 2011. <http://thoughts.forbes.com/thoughts/quotes/beauty>.

Webster's New Explorer Dictionary and Thesaurus. Springfield, MA: Federal Street, 2005. Print.