Beauty (2)

[Mrs. C]

Is it true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Explain.

[Noel D]

I think this is very true. Most people have their own opinions on what is beautiful and what they find attractive. Some might not like the way a certain person looks while others might think they are the most attractive person in the world. It is up to each individual to show their feelings towards someone or something. Although society has definitely influenced our perceptions of what is beautiful it doesn't mean that it has decided for us. Two people may have been exposed to the same amount of advertising but they can have completely different opinions on how attractive a certain model is. They more than likely do not agree on every aspect. One of those people might think that the model is too thin while the other might think she is a bit overweight. One might like her facial features while the other might think she isn't so attractive. It is all based on what each individual finds attractive. Personal style is tied in with this. You might think the way you dress is stylish while someone else may think you have no sense of fashion or that what you are wearing or what you did with you person doesn't look attractive at all. In this sense beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. It is all opinion, an opinion which cannot be proven true.

[Sarah O]

In my opinion, yes beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As Noel said before me, everybody is different and therefore what they like/ find to be beautiful/ are attracted to will be different. Some people prefer one thing whereas others will prefer another. But that is not the only reason why I think this statement to be true. Whenever we make a personal connection to somebody or something, it changes the way we look at him/her/it. We see it in a different light because of the emotions our ties to him/her/it bring about. These emotions have the power to change how we perceive everything around us. One person can look at a forest and see it for what it is, a huge gathering of trees. Whereas another person can look at the same forest and see a wondrous paradise because of the memories they have of it when they camped there as a child with their family.

[Arielle B]

I agree with Sarah and Noel that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sarah makes an interesting observation that it is our ties and connections to a person or thing that gives the person or object beauty. I think this is an incredibly accurate statement. We may meet someone whose appearance does not “wow” us in the beginning, but after we get to know him, we are able to see him in a different light and we come to see him as beautiful. And also, as Noel mentioned before, different people find different characteristics and qualities attractive. The ideal blonde-haired, blue-eyed, American beauty may not be the right girl for someone who has a thing for green eyes. I think that understanding that all men are not interested in the same type of girl is important for women and us teenagers especially. We shouldn’t change ourselves to become the cookie-cutter image of beauty that is pushed at us by the media. There is someone out there who will find you beautiful, on the inside and out, and you shouldn’t waste your time with anyone who doesn’t.

[Cullen M.]

I find that the statement above is very true. Beauty is perceived differently by each and every one of us, despite what the media suggests. For example, the media stresses beauty, but they do so in pictures. Personally, I think that this is impossible. I don't think that a person can be called beautiful based solely on a picture. In my opinion, beauty runs much deeper than the physical appearances we have. Sure people can be physically attractive, but if I were to call someone beautiful, it would be because they have something special about their personality that would just make me smile every time I saw them. It's almost like a firefly. When I was little, I would always smile when a firefly would light up the night sky simply because it filled me with wonder as I tried to figure out how something so extraordinary could occur. So to me, beauty is more the lack of understanding. It's the wonder that consumes me every time I see someone or something and think to myself, how is something that close to perfection even possible? It's unique to each and every one of us and I think that's what makes it special. So when I'm the "beholder", beauty for me is more the emotions experienced when you see someone or something that attracts your attention, rather than the media inspired physical appearances.

[Olivia J]

I think that this is very true. Beauty is a very broad statement and its definition varies depending on the person. Beauty can be in a physical aspect and it can also be characteristics and traits. There are some people who are considered attractive in society but their personality can lack something that just makes them another pretty face. Beauty is far beyond attraction, and this type of beauty leads to love or the love of something and everyone is unique as are their interests. For instance, I love music and I feel as if it is one of the most beautiful things in the world but the songs that I find to be the most enjoyable may be unpopular among my friends and peers. In these and many other aspects, beauty is always in the eye of the beholder because as much as someone may try; you can’t force an opinion on someone else.

[Claire W]

I believe that the definition and interpretation of beauty lies within the eye of the beholder. I think that beauty is something everybody interprets differently and finds throughout different aspects of life. For example, somebody could find a simple pile of rotten leaves to be more beautiful than a picturesque beach in Hawaii. Beauty is special in the way that is doesn't have to be something that everybody finds beautiful. Just as one loves someone for their own reasons, they define beauty for their own reasons too. What is thought to be beautiful comes down to the individuals' own eye to see their own beauty.

[Doug P]

It is true that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. One's definition of beauty is completely unique in comparison to another. For some, beauty may mean the perfect body and features, while to another it is the ideal personality or character. The media, mainly through Hollywood, attempts to set a standard for beauty, being almost exclusively external in its definition. This is a corruption of the word beauty, since it requires everyone to follow a set standard, and removes all personal attractions. Beauty is not so one-dimensional. It needs to be unique, and multi-dimensional, and fit to each person's own standards for attraction.

[Claire B.]

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, but that also does not mean that a person's perception of beauty isn't influenced by the others around them. Beauty is a cultural thing, but within our cultures beauty is still different for everyone. Cultures around the world have their views of what beauty is to them, for example women in China binding there feet. What some cultures find normal, like women not shaving in France, other cultures may find weird or maybe even disgusting. These views of beauty are imprinted in our brain by the way we're raised, and how our immediate world is around us. That’s speaking only about physical beauty though, as for internal beauty different cultures have their own perspectives of how they see people as internally beautiful. On a cultural level for talking about internal beauty, it’s something a lot harder to talk about because it isn’t tangible. You can’t visibly see what someone finds beautiful in another’s personality. I can make assumptions, but internal beauty is really unique for everyone. What I find beautiful in someone may not be what anyone else in the world finds beautiful… and it’s a funny to thing to think about… but. beauty is very intimate.

[Lauren S]

This statement is definately very true. There is no real "Standard" of beauty. What each culture finds attractive can be completely opposite. For example, in Chinese culture girls with small eyes are considered pretty, while here in America the emphasis is on large eyes. But even those two examples are not what everyone in that culture will see as most beautiful. Certain traits may be more important in an individual's own view of physical beauty. The media portrays a beautiful girl in the US as blonde, tan, and skinny. This is most definately not what every man finds attractive.
A completely different route to take this statement would be for inner beauty. This is most certainly different for everyone, because everyone's personality is different and the personality traits that mesh well with their own will vary.

[Carly R]

Beauty is in everyone's eyes, not just the beholder. Although this is true, the beauty that is in every different eye isn't seen the same way. Beauty can't have one definition, and is skewed by cultural and personal standards that are created by what is viewed as the "norm". I would argue that it is most important for the beholder to see the beauty before and regardless of whether anyone else sees it, but beauty is something that should be enjoyed, not something to create a feeling of less worth or depression. It's quite paradoxical, in fact, that something like beauty could cause so much pain for so many. However, as I digress, I realize that beauty should be in the eye of the beholder, when really it's in the mind of the beholder, in the sense that so many and constantly thinking about what they're being viewed as by others.

A sad realization, but nonetheless I can't help but wonder if it's just human to care about what others think. Is it so wrong for someone to care more about their outward appearance when that's all they'll have with any random person walking on the street? I would say it is completely normal.