beau·ty
ˈbyo͞odē/
noun
1. a combination of qualities, such as shape,
color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.
"I was struck by her
beauty"
2.
a beautiful woman.
"she was considered a great
beauty in her youth"
When we
think of beauty, we think of something that is pleasing to our sight; it is
exclusive to our eyes. We think of a beautiful woman, a model. Her figure
perfectly skinny, her skin tan and glowing. Or rather, we think of a man, tall,
dark and handsome, with a perfectly chiseled figure and mysterious air that
clouds over him. Today’s society often imposes this idea that beauty is a
person, and it can only be seen.
Beauty has
varied throughout time, through space and through culture. It has been depicted
and described in so many ways. But beauty is not just seen in humans, and it is
not just visual; it is a characteristic that give pleasure, meaning, or
satisfaction to all of your senses.
Beauty is
often distorted and misunderstood due to a wide amount of conflicting
pressures. Society has built it up to be something that we ceaselessly strive
for, often through individual appearance, rather than discovering it in our
happiest moments.
With that
being said, I wanted to talk about an experience of mine from about a year ago
where I felt like pushed beyond society’s definition of beauty and truly felt
what it meant for something to be beautiful. It was unreal and honestly an
experience that is so hard to put into words.
The summer
going in to the junior year of college, I had the opportunity to study abroad
in London, England. On this trip, we were able to travel on the weekends to
various places. One of these places was Interlaken, Switzerland and was easily
the most breathtaking place I have ever been to in my entire life.
I travelled
there with 4 other girls who were in my class with me. The place we stayed in
Interlaken was not luxurious by any means—we stayed in tents. In this sense, we
were definitely roughing it.
 |
| The tents I stayed in in Interlaken |
However, this was so worth it. On our first day in Interlaken, we climbed to the top of a mountain, called the Haderklum, in order to see a view of the town. This was one of times I have been the happiest in my entire life. Hiking up this mountain and taking in the nature. Everything was so pure. The air I breathed in felt so fresh in my lungs. The birds chirping sounded like they were talking to one another from tree to tree. The warm sun beating down on my skin felt magical. The trees around me were lush and green.
It was not
an easy hike. It was steep and winding, and it started pouring rain about
halfway through the hike. The signs were not clearly marked and we got lost
along the way, making our hike about an hour and a half longer than we
projected. It did not matter that I was drenched from the rain or my entire
body was aching. The whole time, I was so happy and in awe of the world that
surrounds us.
 |
| The view from the top of the mountain |
When we
finally reached the top of the mountain, we were greeted with easily the most
life-changing view I have ever seen. In all honestly, I had never thought that
places like this existed. The view was beautiful. It was truly in out of body
experience.
Yes, this
view was stunning, but I do not believe I would have thought Interlaken was as
beautiful as it was, or appreciated the pure beauty of its landscape, if I did
not abandon the societal norms of beauty. If I did not surrender the idea of
staying in a five star hotel for a weekend, having unlimited access to showers,
or wearing nice outfits, makeup, and completely styling my hair, it would not
have been the same.
Our bodies
are a shell that allow us to emit these experiences and accomplishments
through. They allow us to experience beauty
and live out our happiest and most life-changing moments. Beauty is an
individualized experience.
Beauty is happiness.
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| Another picture from Switzlerland; the water was so incredibly blue! |
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