On Beauty

Many people believe in the phrase, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. And they do so with good reason. It’s safer that way. Not just for the person being judged, but for the critic herself. The problem with this subjective assertion is that it creates debating regarding truth. Wouldn’t it be nice to know about beauty objectively? This isn’t so much of an attack on people’s beliefs; but more so a referendum on beauty itself. Things that are beautiful should be recognized.

            If one is saying that it already is, then why default to the subjective? Nobody argues that the one who perceives holds the key. However, that seems like an immature use of power. And don’t just think that this is about people; though, I’m sure the landscape wouldn’t walk away with hurt feelings had it been called ugly. That said, nobody likes to see land being used for garbage and lakes for sewage. Guess one could say the same about a person. What was once pristine, now becomes vile. Keeping and retaining beauty is another conversation altogether.

            Still, it is something most of us strive for. The make up industry ‘round the world is made up of billions. Men and women alike want to look their best. Fashion itself is its own category. Perhaps the most expensive thing in a person’s house is their wardrobe. It’s even funny to wonder if the people who say, “I don’t care how I look” really mean it. We want luster and shine… it’s nothing to be ashamed about. We like things that glitter and dazzle: a mark to the eye’s sense. Anthropologists can probably tell us that it was key to our evolution, to our survival was beauty. Yet, here we are today dismissing it.

            A many of us still remember those Dove advertisements. The new branding called the “Real Beauty Campaign” launched in the early 2000s in hopes of redefining the term in the name of inclusivity. The company claimed that “all bodies are beautiful” and sought to aim at a wider target audience in hope to diversify its product and bring in a more realistic approach to beauty. Supposedly, at least as it looks, they were saying quite the converse: most of us just aren’t all that attractive.

            Perhaps, it has more to do with taste. Those who judge expertly claim to have a refined pallet. Hopefully, they are bashful in handing out compliments. Even more so, a good look in the mirror can do anybody some good. That reflection tells it all, and the complete story as well. In the end, we are all judges, so, at least we can strive to be good ones. David Hume, the 18^th century British philosopher, claimed that while pleasure in tastes remained subjective, there’s still a required standard. That standard, of course, was not to be found in the object, but the subject who was doing the judging. Therein did their professionalism remain and their ability to be honorable towards true things and judgements alike. 

            In closing, it’s safe to say we all know what is beautiful and what isn’t. Yet, we play our games and have our disputes. Responsibility, however, will always remain with what is true. And, instead of denying ourselves of just that, we can be good by and through recognition’s sake. As it stands, the most beautiful thing will always, of course, be that which is good.