According to Wikipedia, beauty is defined as: “A characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure or satisfaction.”
Therefore if we accept that perception is merely a matter of interpretation then the next step is to acknowledge that beauty, as they say, truly is in the eye of the beholder.
I recently watched a video produced by BuzzFeed called “Photoshopping Real Women into Cover Models.” In the video, four women agreed to allow themselves to be professionally made up complete with meticulously applied makeup and perfectly coiffed hair. They were then professionally photographed.
These four women are what society, for the most part, would deem as being average. There was nothing that stood out that would elevate them to society’s general definition of beautiful. In fact, if one walked past one of these women it is likely that five minutes later her face wouldn’t be remembered.
After the photo shoot the women were then, with their permission, photoshopped to perfection. Every imperfection, right down to freckles and laugh lines were quickly and magically eradicated thanks to modern software.
I think it might be fairly safe to say that most people, at some stage in their life, daydream about that sort of perfection and what it might be like. But reality sets in and we know that life is not about runway looks, more money than one could ever spend in a lifetime or other such frivolities.
My mother was a beautiful young woman. She truly had movie star looks; silky, creamy skin and beautiful legs to die for. As life trudged on the years took their toll. That flawless skin gradually gave way to wrinkles and those gorgeous legs grew varicose veins. My mother mourned the passing of her youth and thus her beauty.
I well remember one time when visiting her, I stood styling her hair as she gazed into the mirror. Almost with surprise she said, “All I see looking back at me is an old woman with wrinkles.”
I was appalled. Was that really all she could see? Had society been so harsh and demanding of beauty that my mother saw nothing else but that in her face?
When I looked at her, sure, I saw those wrinkles, but I also saw beauty. Her bone structure was still stunning and her eyes… they are hard to describe. There was a depth to them that was quite remarkable and their colouring was quite unusual. Where she saw a broken down body I saw magnificence. After all, those eyes had looked at me my whole life. Yes, beyond the wrinkles I saw real and true beauty.
I occasionally think about that moment and feel sadness for my mother that in the end she placed a good deal of her value on her face and its perfection. It makes me ponder a society which idealizes such things. I do, however, believe we are progressing. Such things as the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty which honours individuality in every woman no matter what size, colour or age she is. That campaign came about in 2004 after a survey indicated that only two per cent of women considered themselves beautiful. How sad is that?
Thanks to such campaigns, I do believe those efforts are working. The four women mentioned above finally got to see their perfectly photoshopped image and each one of them was repulsed by the cookie cutter, falsified beauty saying they preferred their natural looks right down to their very imperfections.
It is those imperfections, they said, which make them individuals. To them, that individuality is worth more than all the beauty in the world.