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 Isabelle. Get to know our Summer 2018 Leaders here!
Honestly, beauty is the hardest thing to define because it is different to everybody. Some people value inner beauty, and others value appearance as beauty. Most people, when thinking of the word beauty, would say its someone’s attractiveness – in personality or appearance. The Oxford Dictionary definition beauty is “a combination of qualities… that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.” To me this is how I define beauty of myself – a combination of my best qualities that make me or other people happy. This can include personality and appearance.
As a person who has overcome anxiety about my appearance and weight, accepting myself as beautiful was hard. It took me years but now I feel beautiful almost all the time. The moment I accepted myself, I found my “combination of qualities” beautiful. Sometimes you have to be what people might call “self-centred” and just list out your qualities that you define as beautiful. These can be anything that make you feel happiest about yourself. It’s hard, it will take time.
Often, I feel most beautiful when surrounded by people who love and support me, because I feel appreciated and happy. This is often just because my closest friends and family give me self-confidence in my personality and appearance. Sometimes clothes make me feel beautiful, not if they are expensive, but if they make me happy looking at them and I feel put together.
I think the first step to trying to feel beautiful is who you surround yourself with. When you surround yourself with people who accept you, it can make you feel wonderful and therefore also beautiful. If clothes or makeup make you feel beautiful then don’t let anyone put them down, no matter what other people define as beautiful. Your own definition of beauty is the only definition that matters, because it’s your feelings, not anyone else’s. Everybody is so individual in their thoughts the only definition of beauty is your own.
This quote from Coco Chanel is most important I think, “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” So be yourself, if you is putting on makeup every morning and taking time to do your hair, that’s beautiful and if being yourself is rocking sweatpants, that’s beautiful. You should be your own beautiful – not anybody else’s.
What’s your best quality? Comment below!
All articles submitted to Everly Mag are property of Everly Mag and the writer only and may not be copied, reproduced, or duplicated in any publication or entity. Everly Mag © 2018. All Rights Reserved.
Check out Everly Mag on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.
Feature Image Credit: Everly Mag
