According to Merriam-Webster, beauty is the quality of being physically attractive. The qualities in a person or a thing that give pleasure to the senses or the mind. We often have different opinions from the people we know concerning various topics. So, why should beauty be any different?

A few weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a friend about beauty. He stated that every woman is not beautiful. I agreed with him momentarily during our conversation, but then it occurred to me that beauty is subjective. One person can look at me and think I am unattractive, a second person could see me and think I look alright, and a third person might consider me to be gorgeous. Granted, the third person would more than likely be me, but I digress.  It is my desire that all women see and define their beauty wholeheartedly. But, who truly defines beauty?

We, as individuals, do not classify beauty in the same way. So, how can we truly say who is not beautiful?  Society has led us to believe that we must look a certain way in order to be classified or even qualify to be called beautiful.  Some of us are under the impression that a beautiful woman wears a specific dress size, she is a particular skin tone, has a certain hair type, and she does not weigh over so many pounds.  These statements are untrue because beauty is in fact subjective.

I am guilty of not defining my beauty in the past. I was not always the confident woman you see today. I know how it feels to look in the mirror and not like what is looking back. I believed I was not pretty because of my skin tone and my size. I thought I was too dark and too heavy to be considered attractive to anyone.  I compared myself to other females when I should not have been comparing myself to anyone. I am who I am. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and so are you.

I admit that it took me some time to come to this realization.  I did not see my beauty until someone else revealed it to me.  When I began to see the beauty he saw, I embraced my individuality and learned to love it and love me.  My thoughts concerning myself were altered, which affected the way I felt and the way I behaved. The more comfortable I became with myself, the more my self-confidence grew.

  “A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.” Allen, James. As A Man Thinketh. 1903

We should see ourselves as beautiful, even if no one else does. We should not allow anyone, including ourselves, to define us negatively. So, I challenge all of you to define and declare your beauty daily.  Be your main source of encouragement.

Until the next time, be you and most importantly…love you.

Being uniquely you is being uniquely beautiful.

B.B.