Have you ever thought… ‘Am I beautiful?’ With the amount of media images that bombard us on a daily basis telling us how we should be and what we should look like, its likely that many of us would question whether or not we fit the standard that is being pushed on us. What exactly does it mean to be beautiful and what are the pros and cons of having a standard of beauty?

Here’s what we think:

We Have To Acknowledge It Exists

We have to acknowledge that there is a general standard of beauty. We also have to acknowledge that the standard of beauty differs based on race and culture. There are people we consider to be “beautiful” because of the standard traits of beauty that our race and culture designate as beautiful, who may not be considered beautiful to other cultures. The importance of recognizing the difference of beauty based on culture is recognizing that beauty is subjective. Just as different cultures are partial to different traits, so too can you define your own idea of beauty. You have the power to define your own standard of beauty.

The Pros of Having A Standard of Beauty

There is a pro to having a standard of beauty. The pro is that anything that lays outside of the line of the ‘standard’ captures your attention. Those outliers are interesting, special, and different. We all notice that over time, the unique qualities begin to supersede the status quo. Without a standard, how would you know if anything was interesting and unique? The challenge comes when you don’t see the things that are different as interesting and beautiful in their own ways.

The Cons of Having A Standard of Beauty

The obvious cons of having a standard of beauty is that it messes with the self esteem of women, particularly young women and girls. Women begin to wonder, ‘Am I beautiful?’ Have you ever wondered it yourself? What most people consider a ‘flaw’ is actually something about them that makes them interesting. If you carry what you consider to be your ‘flaw’ with a higher esteem, so will other people. It will be something that people like about you, and admire you for liking about yourself.

Am I Beautiful?

How would you answer that question now? Acknowledge that a lot of what we decide is ‘beautiful’ is something that was taught to us. Define your own idea of beauty. And when you define your own idea of beauty, you should expand the definition to fit yourself into it. Embrace who you are, and appreciate the ‘imperfections’. And the next thing is to do the same when it comes to others.

Yes, you are beautiful.