Beauty is one of the world’s most fluid concepts; I would say it’s right up there with “Right” and “Wrong.” Countless dollars and years of efforts have gone into discovering what beauty is and where the idea came from. I once read an article that was supposed to explain this very thing. As the author explained that the reason that men are statistically more attracted to blond women is because naturally blonde hair is generally exclusive to healthy young girls who are more fit for child bearing, I could see where he was coming from, but when he began explaining that blue eyed women are more attractive because lighter eyes make it easier to tell when the pupil dilates if she is beholding a loved one – that was about the point that the author lost all credibility with me.
Most of us have had the experience where we are confronted with some ancient, historical work of art that features an obscenely obese woman, only to be informed that extra weight in those days was an attractive trait as it was a sign of good health (and good child bearing chances). I, personally, find these figures to be butt ugly, but I do know many overweight women that I could call beautiful. For one example, the winner of last year’s season of “America’s Next Top Model” was the first plus-sized girl to ever win that competition. Another example would be my aunt Barbara. Barb is no model, but if asked, I would tell you that she is the more beautiful of these two examples. Upon first impression, the model will be the one to catch your eye, but after five minutes of conversation you’ll begin to notice the way that my aunt’s eyes sparkle, the way that her smile never leaves her face, the way she makes you feel intelligent and appreciated, and I’m willing to bet that after five whole minutes with the model you’d find that you’d rather have spent it with a photograph than face to face with the person.
Beauty cannot be restricted to merely that which is aesthetically pleasing; Beauty is everything that we find to be admirable, desirable, or pleasant. In other words, all good things are beautiful.
In any social group, you will sooner or later (most likely sooner) come across a knot of girls who are spending their time gossiping about that one girl that all the guys think is “Soo Hot” but is seriously lacking in the personality department, and you will probably hear one girl say something along the lines of, “And she’s not even that cute!” And then there’s the girl in everyone’s life who appears plain upon first acquaintance, but who you soon find is much more attractive than you originally gave her credit for. This same principle applies to men, and that principle is that people who treat others beautifully will appear beautiful to others.
Along these same lines, beautiful music does not necessarily have to be harmonic, melodic, or even well-written; it becomes beautiful when it means something to the listener. Some things that I could never bring myself to listen to will make someone else feel something deeply. I know this is true because otherwise Rap music would never have made it onto the radio.
In the art world, you may be moved by the elaborate painting of the beautiful woman in a flowering garden with her children, or you may find yourself drawn to the modern art. When I see a giant canvas with nothing on it but a red square on a blue background I think, ‘If people really buy this rubbish, why am I not a billionaire?” But someone else looking at the exact same thing will think, ‘That’s how I feel, an isolated speck of feeling in a cold, lonely world.’
Of all the places in the world that you can find beauty, the most beautiful to me will always be the people that become beautiful to you over time. That, and red squares on blue canvas.
No comments:
Post a Comment