By: Sylvia Hamowy
What is beauty? Beauty is that which is perceived as being attractive. Beauty is also defined as the quality present in a person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind.
And as far as I am concerned, “beauty” is a trap. When you buy into the idea of good looks and beauty, you are selling yourself short.
Of course, there are many different kinds of beauty, like internal beauty, sweetness, and kindness, but I am talking about external beauty, that which is perceived in your looks. If we buy into that beauty, we are heading for a great falland, in my opinion, most women do.
We see models and actresses, and love to read beauty magazines. However, the movies we watch have fabulous makeup artists and trick photography and the models that are in the magazines are photographed in special flattering lights.
We are inundated with ideas about how the media wants us to look. The media would like us to believe that every woman should wake up without wrinkles, looking younger than her age. Many men now have plastic surgery just to look younger for their work, afraid of losing their jobs to younger men. This is the reality we live in.
We should remember that every commercial, ad and photograph of a beautiful person in the media has been digitally altered and retouched.
In this fake world of beauty, people do not age. They look the same or younger. It would be a cardinal sin to actually look our age, and when we fall short of that, somehow we’ve disappointed everyone, especially ourselves. Physical appearance seems to be the most important thing.
Why are we adults trying to have teenage bodies and faces? We should get over this crazy idea. After all, nothing is more beautiful than realizing who you truly are.
Think about the ads and the way we are bombarded with ideas about how we are supposed to look and who we are supposed to be. In many ways, these ads are like propaganda. The kind of beauty they represent is a trap.
Models without makeup are pretty, but even they don’t look like the airbrushed ads they appear in.
Confidence is beautiful. I am not saying I don’t try to look as beautiful as I can. I am just saying I won’t buy into their kind of beauty. True beauty is happiness and knowing what your true values are; who you are and who you want to be and standing by these values. You don’t have to be any certain age to accomplish this. Although aging comes with a few lines around your eyes, it also brings wisdom and you become more comfortable with yourself.
Everyone is trying to hold onto what was instead of being present for what is. Being who you really are at present is the best deal there is, and minimal makeup, to bring out your natural beauty, always looks better than too much makeup.
We are lucky to be living in a culture where we can live longer. Look in the mirror and love ourselves. What is more beautiful than that?
__________
Sylvia Hamowy is the owner of Reflections Cosmetics. She is a professional makeup artist, beauty editor and former radio show host. She is featured in the International Whos Who of Entrepreneurs.
