The old adage says, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. We live in a world where people are constantly affirming beauty, but most are still not satisfied with their own. Many women search for ways to make themselves more beautiful, more current and up-to-date on the latest trends, fad diets, make-up magic, and so much more. While it’s not really such a bad thing to invest one’s time in it, many are constantly on the search for that concept of a ‘timeless beauty’.
Audrey Hepburn is one of the many examples of women who exuded that kind of charm, and from her inspiring words we see what really defines beauty.
Source: pixabay
How can one’s beauty be so ageless? Beauty, as we learn, is not only about the physical aspect, and maybe even more than that. Here are some points with quotes from Ms. Audrey Hepburn:
1. Knowing who you are
“The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.”
Beautiful is not a look; it’s a being. It’s in knowing who you are, and acknowledging who you’re not, that makes a woman’s beauty attractive to others even if that isn’t exactly what the world ‘defines’ beauty as. When a person’s heart is full with knowing who she is, the people around her notice that and celebrate with her on that. It shows in the way she confidently faces the world. Knowing who you are means you are completely in touch with your uniqueness as a person. It’s in how you define yourself, with how you were born and how you’ve grown as you live your life.
2. Being at peace with your flaws
“There is more to feminine charm than just measurements. I don’t need a bedroom to prove my womanliness. I can convey just as much femininity, picking apples off a tree or standing in the rain.”
No one is going to love you more than yourself, and no one is going to be at peace with your identity if you’re not. Accepting all the desirable in you is easy (the color of hair that you like, your best weight, your perfect skin, your fierceness); but making peace with your flaws is hard, yet absolutely necessary. It doesn’t mean that you should let your body go or you make excuses for your bad habits, but it also means that you take enough good care for your whole being without being guilt-tripped (or worse, addicted) to achieving ‘your perfect version’. Many women also equate beauty with the physical, and are always on the lookout for the perfect makeup, or the best exercise and diet to ‘improve’ their body; but, let’s face it, it’s not every day that we’ll celebrate trying to do 50 burpees just to get that toned tummy, and it’s also not every day that we’d want the abs anyway! It’s not a bad thing to take care of your body, but don’t be too hard on yourself. Rather, work on improving your whole self – and being forgiving when progress seems slow.
Source: pixabay
3. Being happy with who you are
“I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.”
Happy girls are content, and contentment says a lot about a person. When you don’t try to be anyone else and are comfortable in your own skin, it shows – and it’s attractive! Like moth to a flame, people are attracted to a happy spirit. Many women forget beauty in also a holistic sense, and focus on trying to achieve the perfect physique and forgetting the emotional and mental aspects. Do things that are enjoyable to you, whether that’s travelling or reading books or going out with friends. Make endorphins your best friend – and do things that are fulfilling to you and enjoy them with others who love you for you.
4. Loving and valuing yourself.
“The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.”
Well, Justin Bieber said it too. You cannot give what you don’t have, and if you don’t love yourself and treat yourself right, people are quick to see that. Be the first person to love yourself fully; make your heart full of the things that make your life come alive. Cheer yourself on. Don’t be the first person to put you down or sell yourself short. Don’t let others treat you like you don’t matter; and that value should come first from you. Somebody once said that you teach others the way that you should be treated, and I couldn’t agree more. Treat yourself well, so that others will see that they ought to see you in the same value as how you value yourself.
5. Valuing others
“You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.”
Oops! Beauty is not just meant for feeling good about self; it’s also about making others feel good too! All of the above points – knowing yourself, accepting your flaws, being content and happy and loving yourself – converges on a point where you ought to feel that others need to come to feel that way about themselves too. Beautiful isn’t only skin deep, but heart-deep. As you celebrate your beauty, make sure that you encourage others and affirm their own beauty as well. There’s already enough negativity in the world to make people discouraged – real beauty should come from the way that people uplift each other. Be the person who says nice things, pays compliments, says please and thank-yous and knows how to say their sorrys. It doesn’t add to one’s beauty to try to put other people down; and it doesn’t subtract also to just be nice. In the end, people will remember you for your good heart, not just your pretty face.
Source: pixabay
Hope that this list, as well as these inspiring words from Ms. Hepburn, changes the way we see ourselves and redefines our thinking about beauty! Stay beautiful!
