Beauty is an idea. And everyone's idea of beauty is unique. What you think of as beautiful is shaped by your own life experiences and personal perspectives.

We often think of beauty as what makes us appealing to the people around us, especially potential mates (or dates). But I think beauty is a function of culture, too–-and there are lots of ideas floating around our culture about what is considered beautiful. When ideas about beauty make powerful impacts, they can become beauty ideals.


What is ideal beauty?

Classical Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle were the first to explore the concept. And our culture is still influenced by this focus on beauty ideals. The ideals may evolve over time, or they may seem stuck in a permanent loop. Sometimes it can seem like beauty is all about trying to live up to an ideal. Which is pretty much a hopeless pursuit, because ideas and ideals aren't real. We are. So, define you own beauty for yourself.

A lot of what we know about beauty throughout history comes from art. Our modern images of beauty are seen in movies, magazines, and on TV. But before these modern media existed, painting, sculpture, and early photography were the visual sources for images of beauty. Even the most "realistic" art and media is the product of choices made by the artist or media maker. These choices help shape and are shaped by the beauty ideals of the culture we live in.

The act of creating an image of beauty can be very powerful. Images can take on lives of their own, transforming one artist's idea of beauty into a cultural "idea" of beauty. For this reason, representations of women in art can take on a special status. So, while images of women in art give us a good idea of what people thought was beautiful at the time, they don't necessarily give us a good idea of what people really looked like.

If Monalisa wasn't in a painting, would they even think she was pretty? (Even now, I never slightly think that she is pretty) Just like magazines and TV today don't really represent an accurate cross section of people in the real world.


Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

What you see is defined by who you are. Whether you are looking at a person or photo, no one else will ever have the exact same view of something as you do. That's because no two people have the same brain or the same experiences. Your identity and psychology impact how you see everything, especially people. Your ideas and ideals are affected by your personal perspective.

The beauty ideals of society as a whole don't always correspond directly to the beauty ideals of individuals. At any given time in history, no matter what the ideal woman looked like, there were thousands and thousands of people who preferred her opposite. So whether or not you share the traits of the so-called beauty of the moment, it's likely that your kind of beauty will mesh with someone else's idea of beauty.

Some would say, "I love girls who look like monkeys!". Some other would say, "I love girls with more than one head!". While other group would say, "I love girls with green, prickly skin!".

The point is, beauty is however you see it. All the information in the world about beauty--taking into account your ideas, identity, and experiences--will be filtered through your eyes to create your own personalized beauty ideal.

Beauty isn't just an idea. It's your idea.

Labels: beauty, thoughts