Beyond the Mirror : Redefining beauty

 

“You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful. (Amy Bloom, author.)

“What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful.”(Scott Westerfeld, author.)

“Sometimes people are beautiful, not in looks, not in the way they say. Just in what they are. “(Markus Zusak)

 

The adage, ”Beauty is but skin deep,” is as true as true can be. There are parameters by which we measure beauty, but beauty goes beyond the parameters, which include the colour of your skin, a flawless complexion, a figure to die for, straight teeth, or glossy hair.

Physical beauty is fleeting and skin deep. Here today, gone tomorrow. We would like to be beautiful or handsome, but beauty and handsomeness don’t last. It’s okay to want to be good-looking and take the necessary steps, but the feeling and steps must not become an obsession. 

The definition of beauty that we are constantly presented with holds little worth or value. The cosmetic industry promises miracles, and we fall for it. Crooked teeth don’t matter if your smile lights up a room or brings joy to another. Your awkward gait or pleasantly plump persona does not put you at a disadvantage. 

True beauty lies in the helping hand you lend and the thoughtfulness and kindness you show to others. Your beauty shines through the scars you bear and the lessons you learn when life knocks you down. The hardships you endure and the strength and resilience that help you keep going are what make you a truly beautiful person. All the Botox in the world cannot create the beauty that radiates from a thoughtful gesture or a compassionate heart.

In conclusion, it is your quirks, your story, your imperfections, and your uniqueness that make you beautiful. Don’t deny them, but embrace them.

I share with you a poem that I penned a few years ago

Dear Mirror,

 Dear Mirror,

I think you don’t quite see it all.

Silvered and salted hair I’d fain conceal,

But my tender heart, By deeds I shall reveal.

 

Zeroing in on that extra inch or curve

On the surface, can’t you discern that steely nerve?

You dwell upon the line and wrinkle

But don’t you see the merry eyes that twinkle?

 

Never mind that double chin

There’s a gentle woman hidden deep within

My jeans have gone three sizes larger

I don’t think I can stretch them any farther.

 

Mirror, dear mirror

My sagging figure and face

I know too well have sadly fallen from grace

But underneath that drab and flab, you see

Is a beautiful, warm, and spirited me.

 

A daughter, a wife, a sister, or a mother

To my parents, husband, children, or brother

I bring to all I do the feminine touch

If not me, their lives would lose so much.

 

One day at a time is all to which I aspire

In your esteem, may I rise just a little higher?

I'm participating in the #BlogchatterA to Z

Image credit : Pixabay