Beauty Is As Beauty Does

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or perhaps, beauty in the eye of the mind. The imagination is a powerful thing, and extra detail always adds to the measure of attractiveness.

I have always found interesting how books describe people. Especially with the new trend of movies being made after some of my favourite books, and comics, and there’s always an opinion about what a certain character should look like. Half the time, there’s a certain disappointment, because reality cannot always measure up to the power of imagination, and a particular disillusionment follows.

I particularly didn’t agree with the portrayal of Rogue in the X-Men. Not feisty enough, and where was did the Southern slang go? Galadriel in the Lord of the Rings saga disappointed me a little bit. Beauty built up in the mind is never matched by the eye. Sirius Black in Harry Potter was not the same person I had built up in my mind.

It’s fascinating, because people tend to assume a lot from the littlest things. It’s human nature to form visual images of what things should be. There are always prejudices and preconceptions of the world, and we are all guilty of it.

I might describe myself as a weary looking woman, with pale skin, a serious face with the beginnings of fine lines forming around my eyes and a slightly hooked nose. I might go on to say that I am about average height, of average proportions, a little bit on the skinny side and with an awkwardness about me.

On the other hand, I might say I have a friendly face, with the beginnings of laugh lines forming around my eyes. I might describe full lips, long limbs and a self-deprecating attitude.

Described to others, they might sound very different individuals, and a person’s imagination fills in the rest of the blanks. And naturally, different people will see different things. Two different people may describe their friends differently, depending on the sides which have been presented to them.

I believe there’s no wrong or right when it comes to beauty. One man’s meat is another man’s poison, they say, and no one ever died from an unflattering opinion.