Let me guess.
The last time you Googled “beauty” you were after beauty tips along the lines of how to get your cheekbones more defined with some Kim Kardashian-esque contouring.
If you are anything like me, you’ve probably been taught that beauty is about the way you look. But the good news is, the world is slowly changing.
Models are increasingly being chosen for their “uniqueness”. And consumers (that’s you and I) are becoming more aware of how photos are edited before they hit the magazine stand.
But the focus is still on looks. It is still on talking about physical beauty, and how to achieve “beauty perfection”.
Maybe it’s time we start to redefine what the word “beauty” means. Actually, scrap that. It’s definitely time.
Here’s eight new definitions of beauty we should all get behind.
1. Beauty is being brave.
Being beautiful isn’t about being beautiful to the outside world. It’s about being beautiful to yourself. About being truthful to yourself.
In 2013, actress Jodie Foster won the Cecil B DeMille lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes.
At 50 years old, Foster decided to address the rumours about her sexuality and spoke of her partner and the request to respect her privacy. In that moment, she was more beautiful than ever before.
2. Beauty is being strong, as well as raw and vulnerable.
Even for someone like Caitlyn Jenner, whose truth has been more about what she looks like on the outside than anything else, her courage to be who she truly is was the real beauty.
In response to Jenner’s Vogue cover shoot, Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox said, “Yes, Caitlyn looks amazing and is beautiful, but what I think is most beautiful about her is her heart and soul, the ways she has allowed the world into her vulnerabilities.”
3. Beauty is knowing you are amazing. Just as you are.
If Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones’ Diary didn’t get to you then actress Drew Barrymore will.
In an interview with Elle, Barrymore spoke about how she intends to define beauty for her two daughters. Barrymore spoke about how she compared herself to the woman her boyfriend cheated on her with when she was a teenager. How she felt that maybe she wasn’t enough. And the lesson she learned.
“I will literally kill myself to make [my daughters] learn the lesson I’ve learned about how insecurity is not an option. It just isn’t.”
4. Beauty isn’t just for women.
We tend to refer to women as beautiful. But celebrities like Bono show that men can be beautiful too, in terms of their compassion.
