The Pursuit of Beauty

During my commute to Manhattan on Express bus one morning, I had the pleasure of reading the company in March issue of Allure magazine. I began by reading a letter from the editor Linda Wells and stumped on this striking catch phrase, "pursuit of beauty." Linda explains this phenomenon is like looking for the American dream. This is "the right to determine and improve our essential self, mentally and physically ... that transcends gender, class, race, age or sexual orientation." I thought, "This is so true!" What people today do not want to be and feel beautiful? There is no doubt that we as human beings are extremely sensitive to our physical appearance and will do anything to gain or maintain our own personal beauty. Our insatiable demand for all the "beauty" proves that we are all in full implementation, and unapologetically so.

According to dictionary.com beauty is "the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction of giving in mind." This emotional relationship satisfaction explains why beauty plays such an important role in our lives. We can not help in the presence of things or people who call on our sensibilities. Physical beauty, though a matter of taste and opinion are also characterized by the company views. In most cultures, the existence of symmetry or balance factor of beauty, because it suggests the absence of "gaps" or "defects". Facial balance, complexion, body shape and size, as well as the youth of all standardizations ljepote.Karakterizacija beauty, however, can not be understood without also understanding that beauty has another side to - one that is not so physical, but metaphysical (more intangible element). Not necessarily be seen or touched, but his presence is undeniable. With that being said, we can not exclude psychological factors such as personality, intelligence, decency, elegance and charisma as determining factors in the recognition of beauty.

As I researched more into this beauty craze, I stumbled upon some very interesting results. To my surprise (ok, maybe not so surprised) Researchers have discovered that owning physical attraction can be very influential in a person's life. Someone who is considered pretty likely to get higher grades, receive better care from their doctors, get a lighter sentence and make more money. As we do not have enough problems in today's world, we now know that uncontrollable factors such as our God given beauty or "lack thereof" is just another social barrier to add to our list. Whether we admit it or not, and whether we consciously or unconsciously, this type of "lookism" is plagued our society for years and may shed light on the depths of superficiality that exists in our world today.

This is scary truth certainly affects how we see ourselves and others. The images that we see on TV and determine what we believe to be beautiful and a driving force towards the pursuit of perfection. We spend thousands of dollars and insurmountable time shopping online or in the malls, buying all kinds of beauty products, making nails, hair, face and botox appointments, reading fashion magazines and taking particular note of what our favorite celebrities wear, work and use to stay slim, young and yes, beautiful.

Do not forget that it was once a time when we were all confused by the beautiful models and celebrities, which is perfectly walked the red carpet flanked by the magazine effort, or so it seemed. We thought about them and looking like them, thinking they were born that way perfectly. Thanks to our growing obsession with celebrity life, shamelessly, and invasion of privacy through the myriad of reality TV, social networks and "tell-all" craze, we now not only have the information and knowledge, but also access to a "top secret" sometimes extreme physical enhancers.

Do not get me wrong, "the pursuit of beauty" does not necessarily mean a trip to the plastic surgeon, nor is it an elusive commodity available only to the rich and famous. We all can be physically beautiful! Multi-billion dollar beauty industry has made sure to fulfill our every need in the beauty bombarding us with a multitude of products and services geared toward making us feel and look younger and more beautiful.The opportunities and resources to available to us is endless in this department. We have products that make us look younger, products that make our skin smooth, products that make our stomach is flat, the products that make our lips plumper, for products that fuller hair products that make our lashes longer and thicker, stylists, eyebrow threading up artists , fashion trends that change every season, such as jewelry earrings, necklaces, tattoos, hats, etc. we all use these things to enhance our personal beauty and attractiveness in some way.

The truth is, however, our understanding of beauty is not just about our use of "sexual capital". It's not just the physical aspect of beauty that we enamors. We are looking for a combination between the seen and unseen - the physical (external) and psychological (internal), because they both thrive off each other. I like many, believe that true beauty comes from within. Inner beauty is in my definition, that is undeniable, deep light which shines from you and the world. This is your aura, his spirit, the seal can leave behind after you met someone for the first time. My father likes to refer to the intangible, the spiritual side of our human nature as the "inner man" or "wife". Although this "inside beauty" may be easier for some than others, it's the beginning stages of meeting the real desire for physical pleasure or happiness.

If we can find the psychological strength and confidence to see ourselves as beautiful no matter what, then the world will have no choice but to give us a look at this way. Any physical defects, which are May think that might have gone. They possess an inner beauty is the foundation of beauty. After all, we know that disappears with age and physical beauty there are many uncontrollable forces that can easily be taken away or reduce our natural beauty, such as serious accident or illness, for example. Inner beauty comes from a deeper place. It is leaking from my heart and soul and serves as a free component of physical beauty.

So why the urgency to want to be beautiful? What lies beneath this so-called quest? What is it that moves us in the hunt for near perfection? The truth is, the pursuit of beauty is actually a quest for happiness - they are one and the same. Although Linda refers to pursue this as a "distinctly American" for me, it's more, undeniably human. Whether it's physical or mental improvement of ourselves, we are all looking for this unity. This is an invitation to someone bigger and better than we ever were. It's about walking your door everyday feeling like the sun, make sure every step you take. That is the goal, a set of standard, that once achieved is rewarded with a lifetime confidence, self assurance, pride, grace, balance and enthusiasm for life.

Therefore, we can not deny that we are in a new era where beauty and acquiring it, is no longer mysterious, confusing, but rather an expression of pride and confidence. Beauty has become a way of life, we learn that physical beauty can not stand on its own, we can only improve it. It is only when there is complete synergy between the physical (external beauty) and psychological (inner beauty) who work in complete equilibrium with each other like yin and yang, we can safely say that we achieved our goal in this quest for beauty and ultimately of happiness.