I know that there are any number of people, women and men, that the vast majority of the planet would agree are "beautiiful." But what does that really mean? I think the literal translation is beautiful equals physically attractive. But is that what beautiful should be? I daresay not. Attractive? Sure. Sexy? Okay. But beautiful? Maybe. But just as likely not. Physical looks have so little to do with actual beauty. An example, if I may. We all know the story of The Ugly Duckling. If you are one of the rare folks that doesn't know the story, you should really give it a read. We know that the ugly duckling was picked on, pushed around, and starved because no one knew he was actually a cygnet (young swan). His beauty was not apparent when he was young. He grew into his beauty after hardships. If you read the story, you know that he was a humble swan after all the trials he had to endure. People are the same, I think.
Outward beauty, no matter how appealing, fades with time. Sure, there is always the plastic surgery route. But then we move into the realm of artificial beauty. That means that it is fake. Fake is not usually a good thing in life. Why is it a good thing with beauty?
I knew some very attractive people in high school. You know the ones I'm talking about. Those peers that everyone agrees are "beautiful." The thing is, the ones I knew were all mean, spiteful, and for the most part, of less than stellar intellect. I won't even try to say that all beautiful people are that way. I know better. But it seems so many times that the "beautiful" wrapping hides some really ugly stuff. And as my wife so eloquently put it the other night, "If you put a pile of dog crap in a pretty package, it's still full of crap and stinks." Lousy behavior, or lousy character, can make even the most "beautiful" person an ugly mess. Just think about recent celebrity shenanigans.
So how about this? Physical looks are only skin deep. Beauty, true beauty, is much deeper than that. True beauty is kind, generous, caring, compassionate, thoughtful, trustworthy, loyal, and worth more than any amount of surface looks. So my challenge to the old adage, "Beauty is only skin deep," is this: Physical looks are only skin deep. Beauty, true beauty, goes all the way to the heart and soul.