by androoskadoo

Created on: August 15, 2008   Last Updated: August 21, 2008

Beauty is defined in so many different ways, but "real" beauty stems from what is on the inside. Outer beauty is just what is on the surface. What one person finds attractive, another may not. The only way to truly discover deep and meaningful beauty is to look on the inside.

Every year my sister and I watch the Miss USA pageant. Typical girls spending time together and watching a "beauty" pageant. And, because we like the competition and simply because it's fun, we vote to see who is going to win. We write down names or states and guess that this is the contestant that will earn the title. All we can base it on is looks. We watch each contestant walk by and smile and say their name and where they're from and we have to determine who we think will win. Oftentimes we find ourselves making comments about how we don't like someone's hair or how their eyes are two close together. Okay, perhaps we're not that mean. But, sad to admit, our choices are largely based on what the contestant looks like, or how "beautiful" they are.

The competition continues with no other way of judging that contestants character. Until the question and answer part of the competition comes up at the end. Every once in awhile, though the questions aren't always extremely brilliant, the contestant will reply a certain way that will completely change my mind. The contestant will give a charmingand genuinesmile and put thought into her answer. She'll do something witty or say something clever. And sometimes she'll simply put her heart into the response.

Something about her character will suddenly change my opinion of her. Instead of noticing her hair or her nose or her sparkling dress, I'll notice her character. Her personality. I'll realize she's a real person, out there in the real world with all the rest of us.
The reality of the real world is that people are nearly always judged by their outer appearance. At first, anyway. When you see someone pass in the street, sometimes all you can gather from your brief passing is a glimpse of what they look like on the outside. This is surface beauty. This is the kind of beauty that makes us admire or envy. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but not altogether 100 percent truthful. Real beauty, however, true deep beauty, is always found on the inside. A person's character and personality. Their motivations and inspirations. The light of their spirit. These things are who a person truly is. Not what color their hair is or how many wrinkles they have. Their heart and soul. This above all distinguishes their beauty.

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