Beauty is only skin deep

- it is what is inside that counts.

I think many people think there is some uniform acceptance of beauty. An "ideal beauty" is an entity which is admired, or possesses features widely attributed to beauty in a particular culture, for perfection When we see beautiful people, in general we can agree that is beautiful, this is not. Supposedly statistically they get treated better, they are put on a pedestal, and hover close to narcissism. But who is really to say they are beautiful at all? Social norms, collective unconscious, universal truth?

It can be said that when we experience beauty we feel some sort of pleasure and satisfaction. There is evidence that perceptions of beauty are evolutionarily determined, that things, aspects of people and landscapes considered beautiful are typically found in situations likely to give enhanced survival of the perceiving human's genes. A generalized view would be that attraction is to get us to procreate more and spread our genes. Whereas disease signals weakness or unfit for survival and is thus considered ugly.

I have always found that beauty is more than that, it is not something on the outside. Truly, I am enamored by the beauty within. The former may catch my eye at first, but it has no lasting strength on my being. The latter, Inner beauty, consistently does. When I gaze deeply into peoples souls. When I establish deep lasting connections... When I see the purity and authenticity of peoples being their true true selves. Or when I am witness the innocence of children or the awkwardness and purity of newborn animals..... I am able to fall deeply in love, unconditionally. That is where beauty resides.