Our Everly Mag Writing Leaders told us about their definitions of beauty and how beauty plays a role in their life. In their responses, they think critically about who gets to define beautiful, how they can make other people feel beautiful, and about times when they feel beautiful.
This article was written by our writing leader Jaidyn. Get to know our Summer 2018 Leaders here!
There are several things that are beautiful, and beauty can mean several different things. A forest can be beautiful, a snowflake can be beautiful, a painting can be beautiful, and a face can be beautiful. However, appearance isn’t the only thing that determines beauty. Personalities, feelings, and moments can be beautiful too. The reason I’ve been saying “can be” is because beauty is perceived differently by everybody! There is no correct way to be beautiful.
I think that everyone is allowed to have their own opinion and view of what being beautiful means. Some might say beauty depends solely on the features/looks of somebody. Others might think someone’s attitude that makes them beautiful. Personally I don’t think you can define what beauty means. It’s such a broad subject and it’s different for everybody. But if I had to put it into words, I’d say it’s something that is pleasing to encounter, either by sight or feeling.
As of lately, I feel like social media has magnified the belief that you have to look perfect. You need to have white teeth, no breakouts, a slim waist, and so much more. Not only have I seen it affect countless other people, it has also affected me. I use to be comfortable in my own body, but ever since I got social media and started to see all these gorgeous, skinny girls, I feel like I’ve been less confident. My friends and I have talked about it and they all agree that ever since social media became a big thing, more people have prioritized looking perfect over more important things. I’m not saying that it’s not okay to want to look and feel beautiful, I just don’t think that fitting in and wanting to look like everybody else should be this important. I’m also not shaming any of the gorgeous girls on Instagram, I’m glad they feel beautiful, and I’m not blaming them for anything. I’ve just noticed that more people are trying to change their own beautiful to match the beauty of others. There shouldn’t be only one version of beautiful, and it’s impossible for everybody to achieve that one set image because beauty is different for everybody. A way that you can help others feel their own type of beautiful is by giving them a compliment. If you see a comment saying something along the lines of, “I wish I looked like you,” reply to their comment and tell them they are beautiful in their own way. It’s nice to have a role model and somebody you aim to be, but you shouldn’t need to feel jealous.
Social Media isn’t completely terrible, and there are a lot of good things that you can find on it. One day, I was scrolling through my feed and I read this post that said something like this, “What happens when you play the same song everyday for your entire life? You’ll get tired of it, but somebody else will hear the same song for the first time and they love it. Now pretend you’re that song. You see yourself everyday and you get used to your beauty, so you don’t think you’re beautiful anymore. But, there is going to be somebody out there that has never seen your kind of beautiful before, and they are going to love you for it.” This post made me feel beautiful. At the time I was starting to feel a little low. I felt like everybody I knew was prettier than me. Then I read this and it opened my eyes. What I think is “okay” could be somebody else’s “beautiful”. So next time you aren’t feeling beautiful, just remember that it’s only because you are used to your kind of beautiful..
Do you have a favorite quote about beauty? Comment below!
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