‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’, goes an old adage. Many find it old enough to be discarded and be replaced with newer definitions of beauty. Gone are those days when we were capable of acknowledging and appreciating the real beauty in people around us.

These days, one’s weight, height, and complexion define one’s beauty. The ones not confirming to this shallow definition are made to believe they are not beautiful. They are made to feel that they don’t belong here. They are always under pressure to work on their outer appearance to fit in, which actually is just a façade. I wonder how can one’s complexion gauge one’s beauty? How can the number of fat layers resting around one’s tummy decide whether one is respected in the society or not? 

Experts opine that media is a great contributor towards shaping up our mindsets. Cosmetic product advertisements talking about improving one’s complexion, Bollywood songs blaring out lyrics related to slimmest of waist sizes; these  do shape our mindsets, or shall I say de-shape? Lean girls, almost on the verge of malnutrition, get appreciated on modeling shows, in movies and Beauty pageants. There are hardly any platforms which focus on the real beauty of a person. We have very few positive influences around, who actually help one dive deep into the actual meaning of what and who is beautiful. 

It’s high time that we open our eyes to what makes us and others beautiful. Let’s empower our kids and youth to believe they are beautiful irrespective of their peers disagreeing to the fact. Let’s love and respect others for what they are as a person rather than basing our judgments on fake deceptive appearances. Let’s realize that each one of us is beautiful in our own special way. 

Beautiful is the girl who survives an acid attack and tries to live her life to the fullest with those tell tale scars. Beautiful is the highly sun tanned laborer who works the whole day for her family with her infant tied on her back. Beautiful is the person who leads a life with kindness and purity in heart.  

My physical appearance is just a part of me but it definitely is not ME. I am so much more than that. What I do, how I make others feel, my challenges, my achievements, my strengths, my fears and my weaknesses, my winning over them, my journey, my roadblocks, my getting up after falling on these, my loving friends, my ever-caring family and so much more, is what constitutes the real ‘me’.   I am beautiful and so are you!

Written By:-  Shalini Vaid, MRIS 21C Faridabad