Beauty

What Beauty Means to Me

In today's society to qualify as beautiful one must meet very high standards. It is not the qualities, traits, or unique characteristics but the body, face, and hair that define beauty. After Alice Walker's eye injury her whole perception of herself changed and she spent a lot of her life dying to be accepted, as many people do including myself. One's definition of beauty can be what makes or breaks their sense self esteem, and self worth.

Alice Walker was born a pretty girl, the prettiest of her sisters according to her, until one day when an eye injury did not only alter her face but her perception of who she was. Walker believed that beauty came with advantages, "It was great fun being cute. But then, one day, it ended." (Walker 55), and without beauty what good were you. So after being injured her self esteem was so low that she couldn't even look up. As I grew up I looked up to my mother, my grandma always talked about how smart and beautiful she was growing up and all I wanted to do was be just like her. I spent hours of primping, getting ready to go anywhere, getting compliments fed my ego. Basing your way to happiness on your looks though is not an accurate way to attain it. I did not suffer from any disfigurement as Walker did however, I was always working towards being equal or better looking than my mom.

I realized outer beauty isn't important after high school, where all that matters is the way you look and what people think of you. Even Walker based herself worth on

things like popularity, she goes on to explain "Ð'...I leave high school as valedictorian, most popular student, and queen, hardly believing my luck." (Walker 58). When I was living on my own, working, and going to college in Los Angeles it didn't matter what I looked like but what I was doing. My huge circle of friends had shrunken to just a handful, the ones that knew and loved the real me. It doesn't matter how popular or pretty you are because that will only give you temporary happiness,