Beauty is a concept that has captured the imagination of philosophers, poets, and artists. It’s also something that has been analyzed, studied, and debated by scientists, including evolutionary psychologists.
A common understanding of beauty is that it is a combination of qualities that appeal to the human senses. Physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual factors all contribute to a person’s overall feeling of beauty. It’s important to note, however, that what people find beautiful is subject to personal preference and can change from one person to the next.
From an evolutionary standpoint, beauty is often a signal of health and fertility. Certain characteristics—like a wide hip width or bright blue eyes—are viewed as attractive because they can indicate a person’s genetic fitness for reproduction.
The idea that beauty is a subjective state has also been debated, especially in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Philosophers such as Hume and Kant asserted that if something is purely a matter of pleasure, it loses its value in comparison to other things. They argued that if we say something is beautiful, we have to offer some reason for this judgment; otherwise it is meaningless.
Similarly, beauty becomes trivial in a social context when it is seen as simply an expression of a person’s mood. Even if we say that a particular work of art or song is beautiful, there is no objective way to prove it. The twentieth century saw many artists abandon beauty as a dominant goal in their work, in part because of the negative social associations that it had with power and wealth.
Women, particularly, face considerable pressure to conform to a specific definition of beauty, due to media, advertisements, and Barbie dolls. This can lead to eating disorders, depression and low self-esteem that start in adolescence. Ultimately, physical attractiveness is only part of what makes a woman feel beautiful.
A true sense of beauty is found in the heart. A person can have a glowing complexion, perfect hair and nails, and a killer wardrobe—but it’s all for nothing if they’re not filled with love, joy, and kindness. When we understand that real beauty comes from within, then we can avoid getting caught up in chasing the wrong things. A person is most beautiful when they know that their worth isn’t measured by a thigh gap or Kim Kardashian butt, but in the way that they treat others and love their Creator. It’s a truth that the Bible affirms when it says that “blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9).