So what makes a person attractive?

Beauty defines our culture. It often determines who gets a particular job, who makes the most money, or even who gets the signing contract. American’s typically utilize attractiveness as a tool more than a feature. It has become so prevalent in today’s

society that vast markets exist only to supply beauty products. With so much of our civilization thriving on attractiveness, a simple but complex question arises: “What is beauty”.

The terms Beauty and attractiveness are open to interpretation based on the preferences of the individual. Beauty, when viewed in a textbook fashion, is merely a conglomeration of a number of features or traits of a person, an overall evaluation of their positive and negative qualities. Ideas of physical beauty almost always revolve around superficial characteristics of a human such as: body type, facial structure, and even hair or eye color. The general conception of this physical beauty revolves around a slender muscular build and a sleek symmetrical face. A proportionate body also seems to play an important role in that conception. However, physical attractiveness is but the mere “tip of the iceberg” so to speak. An exceedingly more complex definition is necessary when one delves into the entirety of most individuals perception of beauty.

True beauty, viewed in the perspective of the individual, often stems more from personality traits than physical attributes. Intellect, Ideals and morals also play a crucial role in determining the attractiveness of a mate. It is hard to imagine spending the rest of ones life with an individual who shares a vastly different political viewpoint, and so that person would not seem as appealing as someone who shares a comparable perspective. Beauty can vary based on the incorporation of those traits with the physical attributes of a person. Beauty varies widely based on the personal relationship one has with the individual as well. The unconditional love one has with their spouse or siblings definitely changes their perspective on attractiveness with that person. I personally find my daughters smile to be the most beautiful thing I’ve seen yet. And I definitely believe that she is the most beautiful baby in the world, and that would not change regardless of anybody else’s opinion.

There are so many determinant factors regarding atractiveness that it is impossible to accommodate everybody’s beliefs. Any one person’s opinion on what they think of as attractive can not possibly be congruent with everybody else. It seems that beauty is, in fact “In the eye of the beholder”.