Ah, beauty. Beauty! What a familiar topic. And this topic is probably going to strike you as… boring, I would guess. Such a commonplace word—is there really much room for discussion, much less an entire essay?

I think most people would answer the question of beauty truly being in the eye of the beholder (or not) with a yes or a no. Maybe a little bit of explanation. It’s not really the first thing that comes to mind when you think about philosophical conversation starters. But there really is so much to gather from this topic! I mean, for starters, what is beauty, defined? I'll turn to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which defines "beauty" as the "quality or group of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or the mind." Beauty is, undoubtedly, an expansive term. So let's try to break it down.

Is "beauty" the same thing as "prettiness"?

This is certainly something to consider… but I think by many definitions, we can agree that true beauty is not the same thing as prettiness. Not just in the fact that they're... well, different words. Obviously. Also in social and modern undertones, they differ. But there's a lack of solid distinction between the two terms, which is where I think the eras of our world clash and collapse. Throughout the ages of our society, there has always been a "beauty standard"—which I put in quotes, because to say there is a standard of beauty is to say a lot in just two words. In my mind, "beauty standards" just speak of prettiness. "Beauty" is rich, deep, and all-encompassing. Surely it can refer to prettiness, as it is somewhat in this article, but to discount beauty as solely being that which is pleasing to just the sight is detestable. "Prettiness" is the appearance, the aesthetics. Beauty can certainly encompass that, and often it can be used as simply a more exaggerated term meaning the same thing, but true beauty is far from the surface.

You call someone "pretty" when their face, outfit, or looks draw your attention in a positive way. You call a sunset "pretty" when you see it and it simply just strikes you as pleasing to look at. You call someone "beautiful," however, when their appearance is backed by a positively enticing personality, character, or demeanor. You call a sunset "beautiful" when its appearance is enhanced with the feelings it stirs, with the enjoyable experience you may have while looking at it or the thoughts you consider while watching it.

What are commonly beautiful things?

Wow, great question! I think almost everyone can agree on some pretty beautiful things—sunsets, for example, are classically beautiful! Flowers, maybe. Rainbows, butterflies, birds, waterfalls, etc. are all beautiful natural phenomena. What we see is what we take in first in the world, quite often, and these can really go either way on the "pretty" and "beautiful" scale. But more than that, what about the beauty of human connection? The beauty of indulging in intellectual conversation? The beauty, perhaps, of learning another language, or helping a sweet old person, or paying for someone's meal, or finding deep connection with a pet? The beauty of time well spent, or goofing off with friends? The beauty of learning and sharing more about something you love? The beauty of having things—and people—to love? What about the beauty of the things we can't see?

You can't call those pretty. They're much more.

When does beauty turn personal?

Another wonderful question. The concept of beauty turning personal, and beauty being defined as "beauty" by the beholder of any given thing, is less than clear. It's dependent upon the baseline, the answers we have to other concepts—like the place, in reality, of the concept of individuality; or the sciences of mental processing; or the idea of social influence on opinions. All of these things play into what we describe as "beautiful" and what our society values.

It changes, is the thing. Our definitions. "Beauty" in the 19th century was extreme frailty, paleness, and delicacy. "Beauty" in the early 2000s was paired closely with tanned skin, itty bitty eyebrows, and... well, still thin. But you can get my point. Some people probably look at the Cybertruck and think "Wow... beautiful!" The reason we have different fashions, hairstyles, cars, and home designs from throughout the ages is because of our changing perceptions of beauty.

Think about relationships—I surely don’t find a woman as appealing as a man would. I don’t find someone’s relation to their best friend as meaningful as they would. I can only view the world through my own lens, even if that can stretch to overlap with someone else’s.

Beauty is undeniably a personal experience—a sunset can be pretty to all of us, but what maybe the personal memories or feelings I associate with the sight of it, those that maybe you don't share, is what makes it beautiful to me. But there's some balance to everything, and some nuance to this too—because to say that beauty is solely in the eye of the beholder is to separate us from the commonality of human existence and the overlaps of our perceptions of the world. There is a strong distinction, to be found through intentional thought, between the rights of personal, subjective beauty and the reality of objective beauty.

What does our answer say about us?

Ultimately, I think it matters less what we think is beautiful, and more so to whom we ascribe the origin of beauty. Sure, maybe that throws all of this out the window, but I don’t think it does. Really, honestly, as rich and full of a blessing it is that humanity is given eyes to see and brains to process and a heart to appreciate, isn’t it all the deeper a blessing to know that we see everything differently from one another? It’s what gives us individuality—the fact that your favorite color might be blue, and mine could be orange, because we tie those colors back to things that we, as individuals, have seen, experienced, or loved. Or, maybe our brains just like that color better. We don't even know why!

The act of recognizing beauty is often overlooked, but it goes so deep. Even if, keeping along the favorite color example, you bring just 10 different people, whose favorite colors are all blue, into one room, and you give them a color wheel or general selection of different shades, they’re all more than likely going to pick very different kinds of blue. We've been created by a Creator beyond our full comprehension, so it should make sense that even things within this realm of life are, sometimes, beyond it too. I think that's one of the highest forms of beauty in our world. How beautiful to be able to indulge in exploring the minds of those that God has so intricately made!

There are many, in this world, who are influenced by what everyone else values—quite natural. Sometimes subjective beauty is placed in what trends are about. But shouldn't we consider thinking for ourselves? Try to find inherent beauty in things that aren't considered beautiful? In a world that praises individuality and thinking for ourselves and finding true reality, we tend to draw those lines against nonconformity. Why do we not seek more the best in all things? Why do we not struggle more against being mindlessly appealed by the appearances classically valued? Why do we, who call ourselves advanced in mind and time, not consider more the beauty able to be found in even the ugly? We have the power to ascribe personal, subjective beauty to things that don't mean as much to others—indulge in that power. And find beauty in all things the Lord has made.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)