by Joan Inong

Created on: June 22, 2009

Physical appearances are undoubtedly important to many people. When people look for romantic love, they will generally consider others' physical appearances in making their decisions about them. However, everyone would, perhaps, be better off following the old adage, "Beauty is more than just skin deep."

I have tried, throughout my life, to think of people as more than just picture portraits. I try to see beyond their skin color, the shape of their nose, the proportionality of their face. I do not want to judge a person by his or her appearances. But, being an artist requires that I look at people's physical appearances. Do I let this get in the way of my romantic relationships? I try not to.

I would be able to date someone who is "ugly," just because the word "ugly" and its meanings are purely subjective. Each person has a different definition of what is ugly. If beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, then it shouldn't matter whether I am dating someone whom someone else considers "ugly."

We can spend our whole lives thinking that physical appearances define who and what we really are, but the truth is that beauty does not exist unless there is another beholder. I can call myself beautiful, but who am I to say that I am beautiful if another person doesn't think so? These are questions which lead me to believe that it is wrong to think about beauty at all when it comes to judging people. Like other characteristics, such as race, skin color, and class status, beauty is not important when we want to consider whether someone is "good" or "bad."

The ugliest person in the world could treat me better than the prettiest person in the world would, and I would still date the ugliest person. I will always consider the person who treats me correctly as someone whom I could love. So, even if he were "ugly," I could look past his supposed ugliness and find that there is beauty in his heart, and that would be enough for me to love him.

According to my personal experiences, those who think that they are ugly usually have a smaller ego than those who think that they are pretty. It is surprising and interesting to know that something as beautiful as beauty itself can lead to vices which are not beautiful, such as vanity.

In short, it is best to judge people by their character, not by their physical characteristics. For, how would you know who your soulmate is if you pass a person up just because their physical appearances are not up to your standards?

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