How many people hate their reflection in the mirror?
Thousands or millions, I can't even imagine and it's very sad to think about. Millions of girls and guys around the world are trying hard to become beautiful, some lose weight, some work out, the most desperate go under the surgeon's knife. For what? For a mythical beauty... Why mythical?
Because there is no such thing as objectively existing beauty. Beauty is just a concept. It's all about the perception of the individual.
Let's look at beauty contests.
Take a young pretty girl, she takes part in a city beauty contest and wins it, then she wins a regional and a country contest, and here she goes to Miss World and here she takes only third place.
What does that mean? She's beautiful in her town, but not at the world pageant? Has she changed? No. What has changed? The people who judged her beauty have changed. Let's look deeper. Why do we need such pageants at all? Is a beauty pageant in and of itself a test of beauty for authenticity or what?
I do not know if I am beautiful or not, I will go to a contest and find out.
And there are different versions of these contests, so according to one version I am beautiful and according to another I am not.
If there were some kind of objective beauty in the world, there would be no need to check its authenticity, to gather a jury and evaluate it.
But that's not all, not only is beauty conditioned by the perception of a particular person, but it is also conditioned by time, fashion, cultural traditions, etc.
There was a time when fat women were considered beautiful and thin - sick, now it is exactly the opposite. Even 20 years ago blondes were in fashion, today this trend does not exist. As for the cultural traditions of individual nations, it is even more funny.
For example, in India and China, anyone with fair skin and European features is considered handsome, regardless of height, weight, and so on. If you have light skin and light hair and eyes...that's not a person, but a God or Goddess.
I was personally shocked by that. When I was walking down the streets of Delhi, I felt there was too much attention from both men and women. Here is an excerpt of a dialogue with my Indian friend H:
Я. Why does everyone look at me like an icon and want to take pictures with me?
Х. Because you're very beautiful.
Я. What's beautiful about me?
Х. You have beautiful white skin.
Я. What else?
Х. You have amazing white skin.
Я. Is that all?
Х. Yes, you're white, which means you're beautiful.
There were no more arguments for my beauty.
I remember the incredible idea slipping into my head that all European girls suffering from a lack of acceptance of their looks should urgently go to India, at least for a week, on a tour called "pump up your self-esteem."
Read my collection of HOW TO LOVE HIMSELF.
Considering the concept of beauty from this perspective, leads to the conclusion that beauty is a very fuzzy subjective concept. Beautiful or not, it is up to you to decide.
You have your body, with its certain appearance, and it deserves love simply because you have it, still have it.
It deserves care and love, no matter what it looks like, it deserves love because it's a temple for your soul, it's your home. You love your house simply because it is yours. It can be high or low, apartment or private, it is yours and you should live in it. You want to live in comfort, take care of it.
Read also What does it mean to "love yourself" and why do you need it ?
Start taking care of your body, nourish it with healthy food, give it physical activity, dress it in comfortable pleasant clothes. Accept the fact that your body will be with you until the end of life, to love it or not is up to you. But if you don't love it and take care of it, who will do it but you?
And what do you think of beauty?
What is it like?
Share your opinion in the comments.
P.S. Beauty depends on the eyes and the habits of the beholder. Whether you are beautiful or not is up to you to decide.
P.P.S. If you're not happy with your looks, you should always start by loving and taking care of yourself. This may not be easy, so make it easy on yourself and ask for help from a psychologist.
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