The Fragility of Beauty

Oscar Wilde's book, The Picture of Dorian Gray, released in July 1890, caused a controversial wildfire in the Victorian Era. Its most prevalent criticisms stemmed from the question of morality, as the book insensitively concerned topics revolving around passion, pleasure, and, most importantly, beauty.

According to Lord Henry Wotton, a protagonist of said novel, beauty is the only thing worth having. Throughout the book, a carefully woven, repeated theme lies in between its lines, that to be unbeautiful is the most unbearing tragedy of life.

Beauty is, albeit, a sensitive topic, yet one of unnerving relevance. It is desired by all mankind, doted upon by all poets, and admired by all mirrors.

So, why do we hold beauty on such a high pedestal? The answer usually manifests itself in several thousand different forms. However, all these answers have a single common denominator. Most people think genuine admiration from others can only be derived from surface beauty.

In Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History”, Julian Morrow, a professor, asks his pupil, Henry, what beauty is.

Henry then proceeds to reply with a simple yet overwhelmingly striking answer.

''Terror.''

Beauty is, as disheartening as it sounds, terror. An insurmountable amount of people are willing to sacrifice their humanity for the mere title of being visually appealing. The notorious phrase 'pain is beauty' wasn’t just created out of thin air. Blood, sweat, and tears have gone into the effort of changing oneself to intrigue others. We all have run through strenuous lengths, having knees dusty and bleeding by the end, only to realize our efforts weren't enough. Isn’t that thought in itself truly terrifying?

So, how do we unlearn these concepts? How do we unwind the clockwork that has been ticking in our minds for the entirety of our lives? To answer with absolute candour, it will never be easy to block out these undesired ideas. It’s the one lesson that never ceases because no matter how many times you teach it to yourself, you will most certainly forget the basic principles. It is a never-ending trial-and-error process, you could say. But, contrary to Lord Henry’s opinion, beauty is not the only thing worth having. At least not the type of beauty that he refers to or the ones shown in magazines. As nauseatingly cheesy as it sounds, external beauty should never undervalue anyone's worth.

It is impossible to squeeze the entire human population between the thin lines of beauty standards because beauty is, and will always be, subjective. It will never be one single thing. It is a multitude of different tastes, understandings, perspectives, and attractions.

Don't beat yourself up only because you are not the epitome of beauty according to someone else's ideals. Because for every one person who artificially loves only according to an outward appearance, there are a thousand others who will love you for who you are, inside and out.