For everyone out there: What makes you feel beautiful? What is beauty?

It's huge part of our society- beauty. But what is your definition of beauty? A feeling? A feature? What makes you feel beautiful inside and out?

Thanks for reading! Discuss and post your feelings if you want

Exercising makes me feel beautiful, because i listen to my body and respect its needs. I go hard when i feel the adrenaline pushing through my veins, and i take a break when i get too tired to push further!

Its the best medicine for anything!

I think beauty is how you perceive it so I guess it could be a feeling. What makes me feel beautiful is how my boyfriend looks at me and holds me. I guess because it makes me feel attractive. I think otherwise because I know I am a big person and in our society today, most look at us as ugly or bad people with a problem.

What is even a bigger shame is how our children think they are fat but they really aren't. I have a 15 y/o that wears a size 4 and she thinks she is fat because she is not skin and bones like the models in the magazines. Sorry to say those girls/ladies in those magazines don't know what it is like to really live.

Beauty for me is feeling confident.  It comes from the inside and shines right on through to the outside.  When I feel good, I glow.  And believe me, I glow nearly every day, the whole day long. 

My confidence stems from eating properly and exercising.  It's almost like my confidence and strength comes from the gym!

i think as an artist i have two ideas of beauty.  on one hand, i find everyone has some unique features that makes them beautiful.  on the other hand i am acutely aware of what "marketing" deems beautiful.  i tend to find unique beauty in everyone else, but hold myself up to "marketable" beauty in myself and always end up feeling completely fugly.  it's a stupid double standard.

i'm trying to treat myself as i would want to treat others.  i certainly wish for all of my loved ones to embrace their qualities that i find beautiful.  i start with trying never to complain about my personal dissatisfactions/insecurities in front of others.  at times, i want to vent it all out, but i think this sort of "self critical talk" only encourages other people to put themselves down as well.  i try to give out more compliments to other people.  i'm still very shy about it, but i think if everyone complimented each other more, we'd all start feeling more beautiful.

There are a couple different times that I feel beautiful...one is right after I get done with a workout...my face is red, I'm sweaty my hair is crazy and I feel beautiful because I know that 2 years before I could have never dreamed of doing what I am doing now.

Then when I am wearing something that fits me well...I kinda feel like when I am dressed nice and I have my hair done nice and my makeup done that I can really shine..I never hide behind my clothes but it just makes me feel even more beautiful.

Lastly when I am with my boyfriend. He just has a way of making me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Last weekend we were sitting in his room and he looked me in the eyes and told me that I am much prettier than I think I am. He has also told me that every part of my body that I hate he loves enough for the both of us...that he doesn't see fat...he see's curves and his beautiful girlfriend....yes I do have the most amazing boyfriend in the world. :)

for me, laughter is beautiful.  i mean real laughter; not scoffing, not chuckling, but mouth-wide-open laughing.  everyone looks beautiful when they laugh, but it's more than that; it's that connection the happens between people when we really laugh together.

and i feel beautiful when i make others laugh ;)

edit: crying is beautiful, too.

Original Post by devilish_patsy:

Beauty for me is feeling confident.  It comes from the inside and shines right on through to the outside.  When I feel good, I glow.  And believe me, I glow nearly every day, the whole day long. 

You took the words right out of my mouth!  I have no clue where my confidence stems from, but I wake up every morning feeling like there's a light on inside of me that just glows.  I feel beautiful every day and knowing that everyone doesn't me in that way doesn't dampen the confidence and the radiance that I feel.  I'm sounding really cheesy here, even to myself.

In other people, I find that beauty is the same in them as it is in me.  Outside beauty isn't the same as the beauty of a person as a whole.  If all the good qualities they have shine from the inside out, and I can see them, then they are beautiful people to me.  On the other hand, if the person is ugly on the inside, it's very, very difficult for to see them as beautiful, even if at one time I did.  True beauty (in people) is not a single factor...It's not a good smile, nice eyes or great hair...It's all the factors that make them up as a human being, physcial and otherwise, rolled into one.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

for me, laughter is beautiful.  i mean real laughter; not scoffing, not chuckling, but mouth-wide-open laughing.  everyone looks beautiful when they laugh, but it's more than that; it's that connection the happens between people when we really laugh together.

and i feel beautiful when i make others laugh ;)

edit: crying is beautiful, too.

Really? People say that I look slightly demented when I laugh like that...

I feel best after I've showered, washed my hair, shaved & exfoliated, styled my hair and put on some pretty clothes and makeup. Sundays are my fug days.

Doing something for myself makes me feel beautiful.  Working out or fiddling with my hair, sometimes it is a song that makes me feel beautiful.

I feel beautiful when I smile and when I play with my grandson.

I feel beautiful in the morning. As long as I've gotten a good night's rest and got all my make up off from the night before.  Sometimes my husband makes me feel beautiful. 

Original Post by cerealaddiction:

i think as an artist i have two ideas of beauty.  on one hand, i find everyone has some unique features that makes them beautiful.  on the other hand i am acutely aware of what "marketing" deems beautiful.  i tend to find unique beauty in everyone else, but hold myself up to "marketable" beauty in myself and always end up feeling completely fugly.  it's a stupid double standard.

i'm trying to treat myself as i would want to treat others.  i certainly wish for all of my loved ones to embrace their qualities that i find beautiful.  i start with trying never to complain about my personal dissatisfactions/insecurities in front of others.  at times, i want to vent it all out, but i think this sort of "self critical talk" only encourages other people to put themselves down as well.  i try to give out more compliments to other people.  i'm still very shy about it, but i think if everyone complimented each other more, we'd all start feeling more beautiful.

 

I think this is beautiful!

A real smile, and sparkle in the eyes 

I personally feel most beautiful in my rubber boots and a hoodie, not even gonna lie !

My 3 yr old nephew and I took a nap together a few weeks ago and I woke up to his huge blue eyes staring at me with such innocence and love....I can't even explain how amazingly beautiful I felt.

I also think sweat is beautiful. I love to sweat, when working out, having sex...just about anything except for the overweight teen that was bagging my groceries and was sweating ALL over them. It was nasty.

Dancing. I love to dance. I always feel incredibly beautiful and sexy and empowered when I dance.

When I feel strong.

When I feel capable, when I feel like there isn't anything in this world that I can't accomplish. When I'm determined, when I know I'm doing the right thing. For some reason when I have a real sense of power over myself, my life and my choices, that's when I feel like a beautiful woman. Maybe because in those moments, I can assert who I am and what I want. I am confident and unapologetic. It's a really beautiful feeling.

Curling my eyelashes. If someone said 'you have 2 minutes to make yourself beautiful' i would curl my eyelashes. It completely changes my face and makes me feel better about myself

I feel beautiful....

when I see myself through my boyfriend's eyes

when I am on my bike, riding like the wind

when I am with someone I love

The beauty I see in others? Initially, it's esthetically pleasing features like a pretty face or strong arms or dark, mysterious eyes, but once I know someone, it's all about what's inside, and what I see actually changes. I've had some friends and bfs who I didn't think were attractive to start, but became so beautiful to me once I knew them, I couldn't believe I didn't see it at first!

Original Post by cpontifex:

When I feel strong.

When I feel capable, when I feel like there isn't anything in this world that I can't accomplish. When I'm determined, when I know I'm doing the right thing. For some reason when I have a real sense of power over myself, my life and my choices, that's when I feel like a beautiful woman. Maybe because in those moments, I can assert who I am and what I want. I am confident and unapologetic. It's a really beautiful feeling.

 And ditto this :)

This is not intended to be corny but I feel beautiful when I have done something I consider generous for someone else.  i.e.  I helped a friend get a really good job the other day, or gave a friend a "surprise" gift that I think she deserved.  It builds my confidence to know I "helped" someone else along the way.