Beauty Definition Essay

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one person finds beautiful the other might not it is a matter of opinion. According to the Oxford Definition, beauty is defined as “That quality of a person (esp. A woman) which is highly pleasing to the sight; perceived physical perfection; attractive harmony of features, figure, or complexion; exceptional grace, elegance, or charm in appearance.” There are varying perspectives on and definitions for the term “beauty”; many definitions focus on outward appearance and overlook the importance of inner beauty. The majority of the people tend to define beauty by what is on the outside. Being influenced by social media has made people believe that beauty has to do with physical appearance. For example,

The different types of cultures seem to have their own expectations of outer beauty on how their suppose to look. Korean, American, British, Phillipino, Thai, and Indian girls all seem to have almost the same definition of beauty, but yet different in some ways. Korean girls who have pale skin and have a v-line face are know to be the beautiful ones in their culture. Otherwise if you don’t meet those expectations you are considered ugly. Americans are called beautiful if they have a full on makeup face and if they have “the body”. If they don’t have “the body” they tend to have plastic surgery to get the perfect body that meets the expectations. How British women meet the expectations is by just wearing makeup most of the time. For example, “A UK study suggests British women spend 474 days of their life applying makeup” (Esther Hoing). “In the Phillipines, hair is often straightened and rebonded as far from the natural curls as possible” ( ) so basically besides putting full makeup they change their hair to be considered beautiful. Girls from Thailand put on added coils to their necks to make them longer and if they did that they were meeting the norms of beauty in their culture. “Each year, more coils are added, pushing down their shoulders and creating the effect of a longer neck” (Erica Smith). Indian girls are know to

“ But according to Islamic teachings, beauty is just like any other material and perishable trait such as wealth, rank, and occupation” (Islamic insights). Islamics believe that beauty has nothing at all to do with physical beauty. “Real beauty is what we carry with us in our journey to the hereafter: our good deeds. Some characteristics that are mentioned are self-confidence, cheerfulness, altruism, and optimism. When it comes to judging between physical beauty and personality, our mind inclines towards appreciating people who possess such positive traits and brighter souls” (Islamic Insights). So Islamic people define beauty as what's on the inside because at the end that is what really matters to them more than physical appearance. For example, Muslim women wear hijabs, which covers their hair and sometimes most of their face. So when a guy falls in love with them it won’t be because of their physical appearance but on how they are on the inside. “Some Muslim women claim that wearing the hijab helps others focus upon their intelligence and character, rather than judging external characteristics such as wealth, beauty, or sexuality” (gotquestions). They don’t care on how they look they just care about how they act. Being yourself and accepting yourself is what really matters to the islamic people and it is what should matter to everyone