We hear people say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder all the time, and that there is no objective standard of beauty. I don’t think that is true, because if we talk in the “traditional” understanding of beauty, there is definitely a defined standard, however, this is strongly linked to a certain culture. Its like the fair skin / dark skin complexion argument that we hear all the time. Today, I want to address something completely different, unique skin conditions and how we can find them beautiful.
I recently came across this project called True Complexion by Malaysian singer Rozella, and it consists of a collection of photographs of personal stories of people with different skin conditions. This blog celebrates acceptance of the variety of skin conditions that people commonly have. Unless you have had any skin conditions, you have no idea what its like to live with sensitive skin and such allergies. The constant itching and scratching, the burning of every broken skin, the inflammation of pores, and this is not even comparable to the worse pain of all, the psychological stress on your personal wellbeing.
Our worldview on what beauty is shifting, and with the deepening of knowledge and understanding that there is no one standard set of beauty due to globalisation, things are changing. We live in a world where we have very arbitrary standards of beauty. In the west, being tanned means you’re attractive and in the east being fair means you’re attractive. All interesting but run the risk of a hyper-fetishism. At the end of the day, it’s just skin.
Beauty is skin deep, but true beauty resonates from within. If you are to appreciate what truly matters, you have to realise that superficial beauty doesn’t last all your life. Yes, you might have 30, and if you’re lucky, 40 years, but after that, superficial people will just look for a model upgrade. Someone out there who is younger, hotter, and willing to do it for much less. This is why it’s essential to understand that beauty exists not only from without, but within. Most people’s understanding of beauty should shift from one that makes you feel that you’re better than others, solely based on appearance, to one which focuses on what is within. People should embrace their unique qualities, back it up by a strong sense of character and good world values. That is, and what should be, the common standard of beauty.
Please show your support for this body positive movement at True Complexion.
|PHOTOGRAPHY BY: MELISSA TOH PHOTOGRAPHY | WEBSITE: WWW.TRUECOMPLEXION.TUMBLR.COM|