Exploring the Definition of Beauty | sincerely, yoli

Exploring the Definition of Beauty

There isn't one definition of beauty. Nobody can tell you how to define your own beauty. It's a heavy word, especially for women. I promise you, your beauty comes from the inside, out. There's a lot of set expectations and standards. Usually not even set by women! With all the labor we invest into how we look, its only right we're satisfied with the answer.

How you feel about your beauty is going to be multifaceted. My journey with myself started with hate and disgust. To acceptance, and now, I'm building my celebration. It felt awkward as hell at first. Taking time to really sit with myself and separate myself. Separating myself in a negative lens was easy, it was comfortable. But, separating myself in a way to allow myself grace is the journey. Every day, in a journey like this. You wake up loving on yourself a little more. It's a beautiful thing.

Your Family's Idea of Beauty

From the moment we're born, there's already a debate inside this aunt and that uncle's houses as to whether we are cute or not. The first idea we have of our own beauty is what we pick up in passing. I remember after every yearly school photo right outside the front door, it would come. This quick and mostly quick discussion on how "well" we're growing up. An innocent sounding way to compare ourselves to past years. This kind of thing is only emphasized today by the ability to send photos instantly. Or, have them put (unwillingly and usually unknowingly) on Facebook. Cringe.

Playing the Beauty Look-A-Like Game

On the other note, we see our first influences of little mirrors. In all the family photos, I started to notice. Who did I get my eyes from, my smile? The way my nose is shaped? There's traces of your features in more than just your parents too! I loved the days of having to develop photos because it felt more vivid. To look back on how different we looked from our cousins. Or how similar we looked to aunts.

How You Originally Look at Beauty

Your family are the first people to reinforce how you feel about yourself. Nonverbally, most commonly. I picked up on what was traditionally found more attractive or desirable by my motherland through my grandparents. The American beauty standards (ick.) were present more in what I knew I didn't want. Add to this going to school, when you don't look like everyone else. How my mom reassured me not looking like everyone else still sticks me to this day.

Beauty's Relationship with Makeup

The relationship between beauty and makeup is delicate and really personal. Makeup has the ability to enhance or completely transform any given feature on your face or body. It can be a crutch if you let it. But, there's so much relief in the freedom. You solely and completely get to be your own piece of art. In a more literal way.

How Practicing Makeup Makes You Feel

Practicing your makeup technique is how you get better. It's super exciting once you've nailed something to move on to the next thing. Once you've seen how you can transform yourself, basically shape shift. You figure out the power that holds. Thing is, it's easy to hide behind. This realization hit me like a ton of bricks. When the focus shifts from experience or experimenting to hiding.

How You're Hiding Behind Your Makeup

I hid behind makeup for years, thanks to acne. The most valuable lesson I learned: I can't hate myself into feeling prettier. Followed quickly by, it's okay to not feel pretty. Even when you don't feel it, that doesn't mean it's not there. Taking off my makeup at the end of the day used to feel like I was losing a bit of someone. But, she's there because I still have all the same features. Makeup showed me I could be pretty without hiding behind it. It helps the process to realize this. Because, makeup ends up being a celebration of yourself.

The Beauty in Skin Care and Body Care

I can wholly attest to how I feel about my face and the skin on my body effects me emotionally. There's something so intimate and special about knowing that you pamper yourself. Going out of your way to treat yourself like the delicate flower you are. It's the one place that always pays off in investing in, as often as you can.

Skin Care and Body Care's Biggest Misconceptions

There's this huge misconception as if you need to go big or go home. The routines that benefit you the most are the ones you stick to. Not the most expensive ones. In a way, it's just like makeup. There's a lot of experimenting and documenting. Change stride when you need to. It means to keep trying with different products. Different price points too. Sometimes my skin care will be more effective even when it's cheaper. Because I would be less intimidated by my own products. Getting over this hump that treating yourself well needs to be this whole ordeal is what's gonna demand the bulk of your focus.

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