Over the past couple of years society and media has become more and more “beauty” obsessed, constantly publishing images of the what is considered the “ideal” or “most desirable” bodies, features and attributes. This includes who has the best hairstyle, the best and strongest facial features, the best and biggest booty and flawless makeup amongst other things. However, this obsession is not just limited to the richest of rich in modern developed societies but it is now spilling over to the poorest of poor across the world board, with many both young and old risking and sometimes even losing their lives all in the name and pursuit of being deemed “beautiful”. And the saddest part of this all is those willing to put their lives at risk and even losing them are young black women who are letting their beauty be define by European standards. Going to the extent of getting butt implants and the latest craze being skin bleaching because there is this “Light skinned vs. Dark skinned” war going on with light skinned girls being deemed as being the more beautiful, desirable and superior complexion. As a result, this brings a number of questions to mind and can only make one wonder.As a result, this brings a number of questions to mind and can only make one wonder how far true and how much weight expressions such as “beauty is only skin deep”, and “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, really carry?
The dictionary definition of beauty is as follows: –
1. “the qualities that give pleasure to the senses”
2. “a very attractive or seductive looking woman”
3. “an outstanding example of its kind”
In his book, Makeup Makeovers Beauty Bible, makeup artist Robert Jones starts off by posing the question “what is beauty?” He then goes on to highlight that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and everyone’s truth is somewhat different.
I also posed the same question in a few Facebook groups along with some other questions along the lines of ‘how does one define beauty? And determine that someone is beautiful’ ‘Have you ever been rejected or rejected someone because they didn’t “fit” your/their ideology of beauty?’ As well as ‘would you ever consider cosmetic surgery? If so where and why?’. The responses I got were neither here nor there but the most common thing was that of those who responded focused their definition of beauty on the basis of clothing, hairstyles and looks. Only one person admitted that she would consider cosmetic to help boost her self-esteem and make herself more desirable and appealing.
Reading some of the responses of how some women were rejected and even rejected good men because of their looks really hit home the extent in which media and society play a role in the way we view and value ourselves and others, thus making many more and more materialistic and it is now trickling down to the younger generations at a rapid rate. Gone are the days when people focused and paid more attention to a person’s heart, character, mindset, morals, values and beliefs. Now it’s all about who has the latest Red Bottom heels, the freshest Jordan’s, the biggest lips and butt or hottest and tightest abs. Gone are the days when people were high strung on self love, knew their worth, loved and embraced themselves and their imperfections gracefully to the point that the idea of conforming to the ways and ideas of the world were a no-go, to say the least. But a wise old soul once asked an interesting question that I will leave you to ponder about…
“If you could see a person’s soul, would it change your perception of beauty?”
By Zim Zam
