Beauty is Simple.

Beauty is simple? How in the world could beauty be simple?

The way the sun sets at dawn on a mountainous horizon, that beauty is something that is definitely not simple.
11th grade English class.  Our first major assignment was the Beauty Inquiry Project.  Why give a project so important in October?  Sitting in class at 8:30 in the morning working on a powerpoint, not really giving my full attention to it until the research came along.   Article after article of teenage girls being diagnosed with anxiety or eating disorders because it all stemmed from this one word our society has taken and tortured with its cruel and senseless idea of beauty.

While presenting these power points that had taken the class a few weeks to complete, it was one peer in my class that made the fog disappear in my mind on this concept of beauty. Beauty is Simple. 

The day I presented was not the way I had figured it would go at all. Being surprised at the fact that my teacher was in the worst mood possible because no one was prepared to present.  Absentmindedly, volunteering my group to go, the nerves kicked in.  How can I present? The fact that the word “beauty” was something that hit home because I am a teenage girl living in the “selfie” era.

Presenting up in front of the class was not my biggest fear.  In fact, it was listing all statistics on how teenagers in today’s society are competing to see who can get the most liked picture on Instagram. No one seemed to understand my connection until I said that this whole “Selfie Game” is actually a slight form of narcissism. 

Teenagers? Narcissistic? 

It is a fact that trying to impress other people on social media is a form of narcissism.  Reading this aloud in front of the class made me think back to what my classmate said earlier that week. Beauty is Simple.

I am a part of this statistic.  It’s actually very hard to think about myself being narcissistic and craving the attention of other people just by them double tapping their phone screen until they see a white heart indicating they liked the picture. Unfortunately, it is fairly difficult to break out of this habit.  Waking up in the morning and wondering how my makeup will look in the mirror or do I look fat in this outfit? Should I straighten my hair or leave it curly? Beauty shouldn't be a chore. It should be something you believe in. But now I understand how beauty can be simple.

It's the way the ocean waves crash onto the shore every day. Or the fact that once the rain stops on a spring afternoon, there is always a rainbow peeking through the rays of sunshine. Maybe it's the way that people smile when they witness a miracle, or the way that whenever they smile it reaches from ear to ear. Could this be a version of beauty?

Beauty is something that can mean so much to anyone, especially me. This project on beauty was the biggest inspiration I've ever been apart of in my high school years and now I couldn't be more at peace with myself and my definition of beauty.  Beauty can be simple. It shouldn't have to be a close minded idea that society has placed into someone's mind. You just have to open your mind to explore that opportunity.