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Is real beauty on the outside or the inside?
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| Inside | 88% | 2441 votes | Total: 2770 votes | |
| Outside | 12% | 329 votes |
Inside
by Tammy Lim
Created on: March 01, 2008 Last Updated: August 14, 2011
Why is Snow White more beautiful than her step mother the queen? Is it due to her physical beauty only? Her step mother, the queen has nice features and looks. She does not look beautiful due to her jealous nature and wicked heart. She only has external looks, no inner beauty, is this real beauty? Snow White is beautiful not only on the outside, but more so because of her pure, and kind heart. It is both external and internal beauty.
In real life, not many people can have both of these naturally, but people can work on and improve both their appearance and personality. Outer beauty is transient and does not last a lifetime, as we age, our physical appearance age too, and beauty gradually fades with age. However, for outer appearance, people can slow down the aging process by taking care of their looks, so that their beauty stays with them for a longer time. Inner beauty, which is the true beauty is cultivated through the years and can last a lifetime or even for many generations after.
Generally, a real beauty on the outside is someone with attractive balanced facial features, evenly spaced, pleasant looking, and flawless complexion. Different countries, different race during different era has varied definition of beauty. Physical beauty can be someone with oval face, almond eyes, long, black shiny glossy hair, slim, or someone plump for the Chinese. Physical beauty can be in the form of round face, blonde hair, and plump for Caucasian. Physical beauty can also be someone with long face, curly black hair, and dark skin, slim and tall.
At first glance, only outer beauty can attract others and this is superficial beauty as it is only skin deep. Someone that looks attractive initially may actually put others off and give them an unpleasant impression later on due to their ugly habits. Do you think that a physically attractive woman with perfect features who is selfish, inconsiderate, petty, nasty, grouchy and dishonest is a real beauty? People who are inconvenienced by this inconsiderate stumbling block would find her more of a nuisance than a beauty. There are people whose looks are very attractive physically with the perfect facial features and body. However, if they are constantly selfish and inconsiderate, their beauty fades in other's eyes as they continue to be a nuisance and cause trouble to others.
What about an average looking woman who blesses many in her life, would you say she is a beauty? Those people that are blessed by her would think she has a beautiful heart.
There are people who are average looking on the outside. However, they become truly beautiful for the love and the positive difference they had made in lives of the people they met. These inner beauties are those who have been a blessing to those people around them. Many people who have loving parents would think they are beautiful for all the blessings and love they have showered on them. What about a man guiding a blind man across a busy street? Is a young lady giving up her seat to an elderly woman beautiful? How about an auntie taking the trouble to bring her niece for medical appointment? When we see someone doing good, that person who looks average may become more beautiful in our eyes due to their inner beauty. They are an asset to others and are beautiful people.
As mentioned in the bible about women
Proverbs 31:10-12
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:29-30
Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
It is stated in the dictionary that noble means “having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor. Proceeding from or indicative of such a character; showing magnanimity.”
Although we have no control of how we look, we surely can upkeep and take good care of what we have, to look our best. What we can do is also to spend time reflecting, praying and learning how to be better people.
Real beauty is on the inside, it is the character of a person that brings out the beauty in them, whether man or woman. Someone who is considerate, kind, loving is a joy to others and with time others will discover her or his beauty. I would consider people like Mother Theresa and Florence Nightingale beautiful.
Learn more about this author, Tammy Lim.
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Outside
by ib
Created on: November 17, 2009
I am not superficial I am a realist. When we consider this debate we have to be honest. The beauty industry is huge with the US cosmetic industry rapidly growing at 3.7% per annum to reach $300 billion by the end of 2010 with Goldman Sachs (2005) valuing skincare at a value of $24 billion, make up at $18 billion, hair care at $38 billion and fragrances at $15 billion worldwide.
How come all this money and all these products exist? Because "beauty" in the real world is on the outside not the inside and saying it is simply is false. Can you honestly as a woman say you have passed someone who is obese or extremely anorexic and thought they're beautiful on the inside? Of course you haven't you have immediately judged them the second you've seen them. Why? Because women especially are highly critical and jealous of each other's appearances and usually if they've treated their body badly it indicates somebody with issues and lack of self-esteem.
Beauty is an ideal visual physical perfection not a concept of how good someone is. It is built on generations of women creating a standard of acceptance through visual attraction and competition. Face it, what is the real likelihood of two girls both attracted to the same guy going to be that the more physically beautiful female gets to go home with him, even though the other woman with bucked teeth possesses witty conversation is a better match for him on a mental level? It just won't happen. The reason for this is based in biology.
The more symmetrical an individual's features the more physically attractive they are perceived. This is built into the primeval subconscious when selecting a mating partner who is the most likely to produce strong healthy offspring. Now I hate to shatter all the self-helpers and idealists that beauty is internal but that is false hope and false idealism. Beauty is external and it has a purpose to exist. The more physically beautiful on the outside one is the better chances and opportunities for survival and continuation of progeny for both male and female sexes and their genetic information. Of course it isn't everything, an individual needs to have some intelligence and sensibility but it cannot be ignored that beautiful people are on the whole more successful - Hollywood, the fashion industries, advertising and all material products are based on grabbing your eye and holding your attention because we live in a consumer-driven world. This is not utopia it is life and the better looking someone is the more opportunities come their way.
Another reason that real beauty is external is a psychological reality. Humans process and make decisions on everybody they pass within seconds. Nothing is said but the physical appearance acts as the mechanism of summation. 90% of all human communication is in the body language and persona physically presented to the world, not what comes out of the mouth, meaning that we are all criticised and analysed on our external appearance, not our inner minds.
But physical beauty is limited if that is all the person has to offer the world. For the most influential decision makers may have physically attractive attributes but more than their appearance they have other characteristics which are of more importance such as charisma, intelligence, confidence and a sense of purpose for which being beautiful is not the defining characteristic. But let's also be honest, no one of any real importance is also completely horrid to look at either which just goes to show that the external is incredibly influential and important and that beauty is on the outside, the inside is a second player in the real world.
To say that beauty is on the inside is to lie. It is the coward's cop-out to portray that we're all tolerant and politically correct. It is harder to be honest and say yes beauty is external because it isn't accessible to everybody. Not everybody was blessed with good looking genetics, but that is life and we all have to play with the cards we're handed. Yes, beauty is external but it is how a person chooses to use their physical attributes which can determine whether they become successful in life or not.
Learn more about this author, ib.
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