Beauty is a very important and yet challenging subject. It is something I am drawn to, evoking memories and creating futures. I am on a constant search for the decorative images and sheer magic of visuals which make the experience of everyday beauty. From the moment I open my eyes, I am constantly sorting beauty from ugly throughout my life. The light through the windows, as it dances across the floor.
What is the mesmerizing nature of this single word and what does it summon up for us?
The definition of beauty : “a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.”.
It uses the example of “I was struck by her beauty”.
The reference of beauty is so strongly associated with women. We are constantly in the conversation of beauty as it relates to us and those around us, primarily also women. How many of us have this as something we are winning or losing. How many of us are constantly comparing ourselves to others regardless of how realistic the comparisons are. Is beauty a trap? It does seem to be when looking at the latest flawless outfit of Amal Clooney or how chic Meghan Markle is dressed on vogue.com. How can we ever complete. We go to the gym, we work on our appearance, we constantly look how we look.
Then there is Instagram, another place for comparison. How many of us obsessively scroll and feel inferior as we look at the immaculate feeds of others. We jump on online shopping sites to make our image more relevant, current or competitive.
We diet, exercise, detox, juice. We then start to age. The future as a woman is a reducing window of beauty opportunity.
Really constraining.
Let’s reverse the conversation. What would life be like if beauty equated to freedom and belonging. How would it be if our journey and window of beauty grew with the years. I can hear you all ask – How? Let’s do it.
Start by identifying our own definition of beauty. Let’s face it, we are currently engaged in a conversation belonging to others, not our own. We have been pushed images which challenge our belief of our own beauty for ourselves and others.
Let’s remove all of these and stand in seeing beauty as something we do not know.
Create and elevate the conversation around BEAUTY as a creation.
Let’s create it as a game and have fun!
A few fun steps to take and have fun with:
- Look at yourself now. Look in a mirror, get present to who you are. Keep looking. Keep looking. See what comes up for you. It may be tears, it may be laughter. Keep looking. You will see yourself in your true beauty.
- Everyday look for the beauty in the moments. Capture them in some way. Photograph, sketch, collect. Gather your evidence of a beautiful world.
- What is the conversation for beauty you would like your daughter or future generations to have?
How can we elevate the conversation of Beauty.