I've talked about this before, and dabbled in it with topics of objectification, but there's a lot that needs to be said on this topic still.
I'm referring to the treatment of others by superficial means. The long winded diatribes I've gone on about objectification and how flawed attractive goes only to attractive is. Often times in how that's spoken it's referring to the superficiality of pleasing aesthetics completely ignoring that beauty is subjective. Men will often only look at the outside and deem worthiness from some inflated artificial checklist society has told them is acceptable never seeing the person for a person. Many women will do the same too.
We're taught from a young age that it's not the cover that matters, it's the pages within. Many men date based on vapid superficial means and then wonder why they were cheated on. The same is true for women. The word attractive means so much more than that though. The pages within speak more about how attractive a person is than the cover that contains them. The pages within can be what makes the cover or title attractive. Like a worn out old book that's constantly turned to because of how beloved the pages within are. It may be perceived to be broken and falling apart, but every crease in the pages, every tear and bend is a memory of someone that held that book. It's the moments where you held tightly as you read on because the contents became that involving and special. It's the creases of pages you never wanted to forget. It's the passages you wanted to read over and over. To the casual observer that book may look beaten and broken, but it's not. It's full of love and passion. It's full of memories and times it was cherished. It may have messages scrawled inside to those it was given to. It may have parts highlighted for others to take notice of. It's attractive because of all it's lived and done for others. It holds its own special value because of all that it's meant to people. It is attractive and holds its own unique kind of beauty.
This is the thing we forget about with life. Attractiveness isn't the superficiality society tells us is acceptable. What's beautiful is entirely subjective to each person. It's the kindness shown, the joke that made you laugh at just the right time. It's how you felt safe and worthwhile because of what they may do for you. Attractiveness isn't some societal created checklist. It's in all that we do on a daily basis. It's in how much we show we care through the simple things. It's in our attitudes and gratitudes. Our thoughts and aspirations. It's in loyalty and compassion. It's in being kind and respectful. It's in intelligence and tranquility. You can't buy it and you can't hide it. It's in you with all that you are. It's a smile, a laugh, a gesture, of why someone's eyes light up, or how they turn to pure innocent child like joy because of what someone's kids may have done for them. Maybe it's just how deep their eyes are to you, or that one moment you looked at them and all you could see is the warmth of a future mother or father of the kids you'd want someday. It's in everything all around us in everyday life from the loves and passions we show towards the things and people we care for to how we give thanks for being in our lives and making a difference to us.
Often in life, it's easier to objectify than it is to really see. It's easier to be selfish and claiming our tastes or opinions are more important. What's attractive in life isn't the superficial aesthetics society claims are perfection. Perfection is an illusion. What's perfect to one person may not be to another. It isn't in how we demand to be treated special because of our status or where we are in life. It's in what we do and in how we treat others. It's in how we live life naturally and how we respect our fellow brothers and sisters of humankind.
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