The Beauty Paradox

‘Beauty comes from within’, she said.
But how can you look beautiful when you have small eyes, big nose, thin lips and an almost dark complexion? This was the question that kept resonating in my mind.
At last, I voiced it out and said, ‘No way! There’s no such thing as beauty coming from within. This is all nonsense, okay! Beauty comes from confidence and you feel confident when you have an appealing physical appearance’.
To this, my best friend said, ‘So, you mean there are some sort of standards to measure beauty? Well, tell me what are they?’
‘Come on, Tina, you know what I mean. Look at all those gorgeous celebs with perfect figure & sharp features. People like those are beautiful, not us. Not me, at least’ I answered.
‘Okay’ said Tina calmly, ‘But how do those people know they are beautiful?’ she asked after a pause.
‘Tina, what has happened to you today? They know they are beautiful because as I’ve said they have great physique and facial features. They look amazing in every photograph and we adore them,’ I replied annoyingly.
Tina walked to her house door and turned a little to say, ‘I thought they look beautiful because they don’t compare themselves to others. They have accepted their selfhood and thus, they derive beauty & confidence from within. They stand as an ideal beauty because they admire themselves first and then allow the world to do the same. Start accepting yourself, Shanaya & you will become beautiful’.
And she went inside, leaving me with her piercing words which made me rush to my house and stand in front of the mirror. That day, like an epiphany, I saw myself in the mirror; my real self. I was looking beautiful; I was admiring every feature of my face. It marked the beginning of my self-awakening and I started loving myself!