by A. Jacobina Poulsen

Created on: February 26, 2009

In this world full of ugly deeds and disappearing standards, our hearts cry out within us for the beautiful and pure. When asked the question, where does beauty lie, we rise up to insist that it must be from the inside. But, in truth, the question is faulty, and the answer much less simple.

Philosophers will tell us that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, upholding the time-honored tradition of philosophical ambiguity. Scientists, who like more definitive answers, tell us that beauty results from symmetry of features. We can behold symmetry, so it seems that they agree with the philosophers. Obviously, neither group can be trusted, so let's turn to the economists.

Economists tell us that a recession can be predicted by what they term the "Lipstick Index". In hard economic times, when money is tight and people refrain from making big purchases such as a house or a car, women actually buy more cosmetics. They can't afford to purchase the newest designer fashion, they cut coupons to save money on the grocery bill and they eschew luxury items, but they will squeeze out a few dollars for a new lipstick in order to present a more beautiful face to the world.

Beauty defined in this manner then, is an industry. Millions are employed worldwide developing, manufacturing, marketing and selling products that claim to create beauty. But is this what we mean when we ask the question about where beauty originates?

When we proclaim that "real beauty" comes from inside, we are not wrong, it is just that we mean so much more than the word "beauty" can express. To use the same word to describe the pure soul, the kind heart, or the indomitable spirit that resides in a human being that is being ascribed to the faces of vaccuous models that adorn the pages of fashion magazines is nothing less than insulting. Yet, they are pleasing to the eye of the beholder, their features are regular and symmetrical, so why do we not simply agree that this is real beauty?

We do not, because by "real beauty" we mean character. We mean the ability to feel, think and behave in a way that exemplifies all that we imagine humans to be capable of. It is what we aspire to, what we believe we ought to be.

What makes us worthy of respect, love and admiration comes from the inside. What pleases the eye of the beholder may come from our genes or a bottle, it matters not. Beauty is external, fleeting and individually determined. What makes us truly beautiful is less easily obtained.

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