For many women, beauty is something that we are taught is important from a very young age. But what is true beauty? And how do we achieve it? Aristotle believed that beauty is symmetry, David Bowie believed beauty is strange, and Pablo Picasso believed beauty could be dangerous. There are so many different definitions of beauty, depending on both the subject and the object. What we find beautiful about the human body is different from what we find beautiful about flowers, sunsets, oceans, butterflies, and cats. 

Many people find beauty in familiarity while others find beauty in difference. David Bowie is a huge inspiration to me when it comes to defining what beauty is. Bowie challenged gender norms and his impact in using fashion and beauty as a means of self-expression is everlasting. He saw beauty in the strange and anything that ignited imagination and creativity. There is so much beauty in rarity. I have found beauty in exploring new places. Being from Southern California, I am surrounded by beautiful beaches and sunshine, and when I visited New Hampshire I was blown away by the tall green trees everywhere. Getting to explore different parts of the world has opened my eyes to all different kinds of geographical beauty. What might be the woods where you would drink with your high school friends, might be beautiful to someone who grew up in the desert. We appreciate beauty so much more when it isn’t something we are constantly surrounded by or accustomed to. In reality, we walk past so many beautiful people, places, and things in our everyday life but we are too distracted by our daily thoughts and tasks to appreciate the beauty of the world that surrounds us. 

The philosophy of aesthetics studies the undefinable concept of beauty. Aesthetics is defined as “a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty.” Simply put, it is the theory of beauty; and beauty delights the senses. I can hear beauty in music, see beauty in art, feel beauty in sunshine, taste beauty in summer fruit, and smell beauty in my mom’s signature perfume. 

Immanuel Kant, 18th-century philosopher, believed that although aesthetic judgments are subjective, they are still universal. To Kant, aesthetic judgments are related to the feeling of a subject. Although beauty is not useful nor perfect, beauty does have a purpose, just an undefinable one. Almost everything can be seen as beautiful from someone's subjective point of view, yet there are patterns in what our brains find beautiful that have been studied —- simplicity, symmetry, pattern, and rhythm. 

Despite what research and classical philosophers say about aesthetics, I think certain types of beauty can only be understood with knowledge or context of the object being surveyed. I find people more and more beautiful as I get to know them. My friends are more beautiful to me today than they were when I first met them, and that is because I have learned their context; their character, what makes them special, what they are passionate about, and how they treat the world around them. What I find beautiful, someone else may find ugly, which makes beauty so special. What can be seen as imperfections or flaws can also be viewed as beautiful – freckles, birthmarks, smile lines. Ultimately, the most beautiful things are the ones you cannot grasp, the ones that transcend our physical senses — love, friendship, and our relationship with ourselves. It is important to note and revere the beauty we experience daily in mundane moments, to admire simple joys, and to appreciate our unique internal beauty.