Finding Our Own Definitions of Beauty

Written by Alliison Carmen and Narrated by Marie T. Russell. Editor's Note: While this article is written "for women", it can also be read and adapted to the male gender, as "beauty" is not restricted only to the female gender -- and self-empowerment applies to all. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor even touched, but just felt in the heart.”                                               — Helen Keller Definition of beauty: "that which gives the highest degree of pleasure to the senses or the mind..."                      -- Merriam-Webster dictionary I felt so ugly when my husband left me. I felt so rejected that there was no blush, no cover-up, and no Botox that would give me a lift. I needed to redefine what beauty meant to me to see if beauty could become "that which gives pleasure to my senses or my mind." as Merriam-Webster suggested. How could I feel whole as I walk out my door, go to work, and interact with the world without finding a way to embrace my true beauty? I had nowhere else to turn. So, one day in October, I decided to explore beauty as that which was pleasurable to me and nobody else, just to see what would happen. I sat for a while, thinking about what gave me pleasure and what gave me pain. I was fully aware of the fact that the socially constructed idea of beauty was creating a lot of pain for me and not much pleasure. I started to question what my true beauty was. If I experienced my true beauty, how would I feel inside? I truly believed that I would feel pleasure and peace. I would feel whole. I would feel more freedom. As I was playing with this idea, I decided to take a walk outside. It was a beautiful day, and it felt more like summer than fall. During my walk, I saw a young woman coming toward me. She was the pic­ture of what I believed the media and mainstream culture would tell me is beauty... Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article) Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay Copyright 2021. All Rights Reserved.