Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
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so
[Music]
e e
a u t i f u l
beautiful
a nine letter word
four syllables that each and every one
of us has been taught to aspire to it
something that we strive to achieve for
every minute of every day
well i have some questions maybe you can
help me answer them
as a society how exactly do we go about
the business of defining beauty
is it’s an entirely arbitrary process
do we have a system a specific criteria
to be met
who on earth
holds the power to dictate when and how
this all-powerful word may be applied
well plato once famously said that
beauty is in the eye of the beholder i’m
sure we’ve all heard it
a quote filled with good intent yet ever
as misleading
because if it were true then it wouldn’t
be only four percent of the women alive
today who would consider themselves
beautiful
if it were true then the fashion and
makeup industry wouldn’t be able to prey
on the insecurities of young men and
women for profit i mean a multi-trillion
dollar industry built entirely upon the
ideas of exclusivity and separation on
the concept of us versus them wouldn’t
survive and thrive the way it does in a
world where these words rang true
the global beauty industry is worth
approximately
511 billion dollars that’s a big number
the global education industry is only
worth five thousand four hundred and
forty nine million dollars
this means that every year more money is
spent on fashion and makeup than on
educating the minds of tomorrow
that we deem physical appearance to be
more important than even the most basic
of competency
far beyond the industry itself prominent
issues such as bullying and self-hatred
stem from the promotion of these hateful
and degrading ideologies
don’t believe me
when you woke up this morning got
dressed looked in the mirror
did you think you looked beautiful did
you poke and prod at every little thing
that they might notice
did you count all the unflattering
angles that they might happen to see
maybe not today but what about this week
this month
i hope you understand that i must
disagree with plato when i say that all
of us have been brought up in a society
that does not allow for any difference
of opinion when defining beauty
well why don’t we look for an
alternative definition for the same i’m
sure we’ll all up to the task
beauty
is a combination of unique features in
any shape form color or size you could
imagine that is pleasing to the
aesthetic senses
see i like this definition far more
because it showcases our greatest
defense towards discrimination
inclusivity
the simple representation of features
not usually portrayed in the media could
be the key to dismantling the repressive
systems currently in place
and enable the building of new and
modern ways of thinking
but hitting closer to home
the little things make a huge difference
include a figure that you wouldn’t
usually consider your next art class
compliment a stranger on something that
some may find unusual
but more importantly
do it for yourself
put on an outfit and skip the pokken and
the prodding
wear some makeup and don’t count the
angles
redefine your beauty on your own terms
because while i may not have all the
answers i can tell you this
beauty is only ever meaningful when it
is self-realized
so
in any way you can i encourage you to
see the world around you from a
different perspective and appreciate
those living in it as i conclude and in
case you forgot
dear young boy and dear young girl
you are beautiful
thank you
[Applause]
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you