Beauty is something that captivates and allures both men and women. Women strive to be beautiful throughout their entire lives. Even during childhood, little girls like to dress up and imagine that they are stunning beauties, capable of securing a handsome prince. While beauty may be seen as a more feminine trait, the quest for beauty is not only limited to females. Many men also wish to be perceived as attractive and handsome. In fact, the quest to become beautiful and maintain that beauty is one of the longest and most time consuming struggles of one’s life.
What Is Physical Beauty?
According to the Webster dictionary, beauty is “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit”. While this definition accurately describes the feelings that beauty evokes, the physical description of what beauty looks like varies depending on a person’s personal preferences and in what culture they were raised. In the United States, a Caucasian woman is generally perceived as beautiful if she is thin, has symmetrical facial features, and ideally possesses a waist to hip ratio of 0.7. However, an African American woman is perceived as beautiful if she possesses a curvier figure, accentuated with a fuller bottom. Men are also held to a certain beauty standard. Women usually prefer men that are tall, with a full head of well-groomed hair, and a muscular torso that consists of broad shoulders and a slim waist.
What is considered to be beautiful truly varies from individual to individual. Some men prefer women that are very thin, while other men prefer women that are full figured and curvy. Most individuals have a specific hair color that they prefer their partners to have, and also prefer certain specific physical features. While these preferences vary, some studies have shown that the overall symmetry of the physical features are what makes them appear beautiful. As reported in “The Independent: Science” by Stephen Khan and Roger Dobson, physical symmetry is a sign of good health and fertility, which humans find to be biologically and subconsciously attractive.
Beauty Starts From Within
Most people know at least one woman, who is not the most beautiful woman around, yet tends to attract men wherever she goes. More beautiful women may wonder what this plainer woman has that they do not and what qualities she possesses that men seem to find so appealing. The answer to that question would be inner beauty.
Inner beauty is a combination of kindness, charisma, confidence, and an upbeat attitude. Even the most beautiful woman in the world will not be seen as attractive if she is obviously unhappy and walks around trying to hide herself, rather than presenting a confident face to the world. As artist and writer, Kahlil Gibran, once said, “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”
A man or woman that is confident in themselves and in their physical appearance will be seen as attractive to others. If a person believes that he or she is beautiful, others will believe so as well. However, while confidence is imperative in becoming attractive, a pleasant demeanor is just as, if not more, important. People tend to mimic the emotions of those around them. Because emotions are contagious, people are attracted to those that exude happiness and kindness. Therefore, when beginning the quest to become beautiful and attractive, first work on becoming the best and happiest version of yourself possible. This new-found inner beauty is not only attractive, but will continue to be attractive, even when physical beauty begins to fade.
Attractive Attitudes: Using Inner Beauty To Allure The Opposite Sex
While an upbeat attitude is always appealing, there are other attitudes that are also seen as attractive. To increase attractiveness, many people simply need to master the art of flirting. Flirting is a way of using body language and charisma to pique the interest and become attractive to the opposite sex.
The easiest way to become more flirtatious is to increase eye contact with the opposite sex. This can be done by simply making eye contact and smiling at every person of the opposite sex that you come into contact with. While this may seem uncomfortable at first, this interaction only needs to last a second or two for it to be effective. Most people would be surprised to discover how much more attention that they receive from the opposite sex by simply extending a smile and a quick glance to those around them. It is certainly true that a smile from a stranger can brighten one’s day. Also, when considering that people feed off of the emotions of others, this pleasant display of happiness will make you appear happy, confident, and pleasant to be around.
Once a person learns to successfully flirt with their eyes, they may begin to master other techniques. A quick touch is an easy way to appear flirtatious. A causal touch on the shoulder after a joke has been told or pretending to remove lint from one’s shirt is a great way to break the contact barrier. People that are not afraid of casually touching others appear more confident, friendly, and attractive to others. Another effective way of flirting is to mimic the mannerisms of the person to which you are speaking. Casually leaning your body towards a person of the opposite sex and subtly mimicking their body positioning is a great way to increase feelings of familiarity, comfort, and appeal. When a person is a great flirt, they seem more attractive, charming, and exciting to those around them. Even those who are not the most physically beautiful can greatly increase their attractiveness by learning to effectively flirt and charm the opposite sex.
Physical Beauty: Maintaining A Fit, Beautiful Body
Individuals find different body types to be more attractive based on their culture, personal preferences, and societal influences. While this is true, most people will find themselves to be more attractive to the opposite sex when they maintain a healthy body. A healthy body is one that appears proportional when considering a person’s height and bone structure.
One of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy body is exercise. Proper exercise will not only help to keep the body at a healthy weight, but it will strengthen the muscles and prevent disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average person requires approximately 2.5 hours of moderately intense aerobic activity and 1.25 hours of intense aerobic activity each week. Moderately intense exercise is considered to be brisk walking or casual biking, while intense exercise consists of running, swimming laps, jumping rope, and other activities that require a large amount of effort. These requirements are a great estimate for most individuals, but may vary due to a person’s physical condition, weight, and health.
To maintain a healthy body, one must be sure to eat a healthy and nutritious diet, even when exercising regularly. While fast food is becoming a staple in many people’s diets, most of these foods are unhealthy and contain very little nutritional value. When eating a healthy diet, be sure to eat three nutritious meals, along with a few healthy snacks each day. Frequently fueling the body with healthy foods will keep the metabolism running on high, while providing adequate nutrition to the body. In addition, instead of choosing processed foods, incorporate fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet. Choosing to eat a healthy diet will not only help to keep the body looking great, but it will help you to feel great. When you choose a healthy lifestyle, you will not only feel better about your body, but more proud of your lifestyle and attractive to the opposite sex.
Skin: The Canvas Of Beautiful
Beautiful skin is clear, smooth skin. One of the most attractive features of many people, especially women, is their skin. For attractive skin, women should aim to achieve soft, smooth, and fragrant skin, as this will be seen as beautiful by the great majority of people. This can be done by properly removing unwanted hair on a regular basis, adequately moisturizing, and supplying the skin with scented lotions or perfumes. While these habits can help the skin to appear beautiful, many people struggle with two main skin issues. These two issues are acne and wrinkles.
- Acne: Acne can be a frustrating and embarrassing condition. To treat acne, be sure to cleanse the face with a specially formulated face wash meant for those with acne. There are many great over-the-counter treatments that are effective in treating acne when used regularly. However, if these over-the-counter treatments prove ineffective, a dermatologist may be able to prescribe an effective treatment. While acne can be frustrating to deal with, seeking effective treatment will increase a person’s confidence and improve their appearance immensely.
- Wrinkles: While wrinkles may be more difficult to treat than acne, there are ways to improve the appearance of wrinkles. The first thing that should be done to treat wrinkles, to is avoid sun exposure. To prevent wrinkles from worsening, avoid excessive tanning of the face and be sure to apply sunscreen. However, once the damage has been done, many people seek to reverse this sign of aging. To do this, many people may choose to utilize an effective wrinkle cream or to receive a corrective cosmetic procedure. While injections, such as Botox, are very effective in eliminating wrinkles, many people would view this procedure as a bit extreme. For those that do not wish to receive any sort of injection, yet wish to receive an effective treatment, many spas offer laser treatments and other facials to improve wrinkles. In addition to these treatments, many facial creams include antioxidants, collagen, and other high quality ingredients that can help to improve the condition of the skin.
Many men and women also improve the appearance of their skin by choosing to tan their skin. While many people prefer a bronzed look, tanning can be very harmful to the overall health of the skin. Aside from causing skin cancer, frequent sun exposure is also known to cause wrinkles. Because of this, it is advisable to bronze the skin using a self tanner. Self tanning lotions and sprays are great ways to maintain a beautiful tan, without the harmful side effects of traditional tanning.
Hair: What’s Attractive?
Hair is another physical feature that is very important to a person’s perceived attractiveness, yet is subject to the unique preferences of each individual. Men are usually deemed more attractive, when they possess a thick mane of well-groomed hair. A man’s hair should be cut into a style, whether kept short or worn long, that is frequently trimmed and appears as though it is cared for. The hair should also be shiny, healthy, and smell pleasant to those in close contact. Unfortunately, most men will eventually begin to experience hair loss. While this is a disappoiting reality for most men, it is better to face the situation, than to try to diguise it. Instead of keeping the hair long or strategically combing the hair to disguise hair loss, many women find cutting the hair very short to be more attactive. Not only does a short cut look better on men that are experiencing heavy hair loss, but it also shows a man’s confidence and comfort with his appearance.
A woman’s hair is one of her most beautiful assets. While some people prefer blond hair, others prefer brunettes or redheads. This is why it is less important to focus on the color of the hair, than it is to focus on the condition and style of the hair. However, it is important to remember to choose a hair color that is flattering, appears to be in good condition, and accentuates the color of the skin and eyes.
To appear as beautiful as possible, it is important for women to keep their hair in great condition. This can be done by properly conditioning and frequently trimming the hair. Beautiful hair should appear shiny, be soft to the touch, and smell great. For very alluring hair, many women choose to keep their hair long. Long, flowing locks are viewed as sexy and feminine and is seen as more attractive than short hair by a great number of people. However, this is not to say that short hair is conclusively less attractive on females. If a woman feels that a short hair cut flatters her face and makes her feel more confident, then that hair cut will prove more attractive. The most important thing to consider when choosing a hairstyle, is what will make a woman feel more confident and make her hair look as healthy and touchable as possible.
Maintaining A Youthful, Beautiful Appearance
Youth is a very attractive quality. People that appear youthful and vivacious are more attractive to others. However, those that are younger are not always more attractive. To be attractive, it is more important to appear youthful and healthy, than it is to actually be young. To appear youthful, one simply needs to take careful care of his or her body. By exercising, eating a healthy diet, and taking care of the hair and skin, one can appear to be years younger than they really are. People are attracted to those that take care of their body and appearance. To be seen as youthful and beautiful, it is important to remember that you are worth the effort it takes to look your best, and be sure the make that effort.
You Are Unique. You Are Beautiful!
The most important thing to know about beauty, is how to recognize it in yourself. Most people tend to dwell on their flaws and find it impossible to see the beauty in themselves. Nobody is perfect. No person is without flaws. This may be difficult to believe when society is inundating you with magazines and television shows full of beautiful models and celebrities with seemingly perfect bodies. However, even these beautiful cover models have flaws, many of which are hidden by talented photographers and airbrush artists. While viewing these magazines or other media sources, keep in mind that the celebrities they feature have been re-touched and made to look as “perfect” as they appear.
Imperfections and flaws are what make a person unique. While many people find themselves under pressure to look like Barbie or Ken, not everyone is meant to look that way. If everyone did look that way, those ideals would no longer be considered beautiful. There is something beautiful about every person. It is important to recognize that beauty, accentuate it, and be confident in your uniqueness.
While it may be nice to be beautiful, it is important to understand that attraction is not solely based on physical beauty. If most people were to think back on the last person they were attracted to, it would be safe to say that many of those attractive individuals were not exceptionally beautiful. Perhaps they had a great smile, or a cute laugh; but you were probably most attracted to them because they made you feel good about yourself. To be attractive, you must be at peace with yourself, confident, and happy. When a person possesses these qualities, they will not only find themselves more attractive to others, but able to make other people feel more attractive as well.