At a glance, I think that girl on the street is beautiful. She has gorgeous curly auburn hair. Her eyes are an exotic green. Her skin is pale and flawless. She has a bright, perfect smile. She’s of average height and weight. Her clothes fit her body perfectly, accentuating her curves in the best ways. No one can say she’s ugly. Everything about her is flawless.


But if I went up to this girl, this perfect-looking woman, and were to actually talk to her, my eyes would begin to open. This girl is mean, negative. She puts others down to bring herself up. She’s rude. She has unreachable standards. She sneers at you without meeting you.


And that’s when I’d notice that she isn’t a picture of perfection. I’d notice the chip on her bottom tooth, the barely visible pimple on her chin. I’d notice the little untrimmed hairs between her eyebrows, the little clump of mascara on her eyelashes. Suddenly, I notice all the fly-aways and how her hair has dead-ends about an inch long. Her eyes don’t shine as bright to me anymore, and her smile is actually hideous. It’s a sneering smile, a “I’m-better-than-you” smile.


Now, all of these certainly don’t make her ugly. She is human after all, and these are common human imperfections. But it makes me wonder if I would have seen her differently if she was a better person on the inside. Maybe those tiny flaws would have never been visible.


Kind of like this other girl I know. Everyone calls her ugly. She’s a little overweight. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. She wears glasses and braces, and has a crooked little smile. Now, I’ve never thought she was ugly, but I never would have given her a second glance.


But I spoke with her one day, and she’s such a kind person. She’s funny, too, and very smart. She has this energy about her that is so bubbly and positive, I can’t help but smile around her.


And that’s when I noticed how truly beautiful she actually is. Her eyes are gorgeous. They change color with her mood and the weather. But each color is bright and extreme. Her crooked smile is charming and child-like. And so what if she has braces? Soon her smile will be perfect. I notice that she has good bone structure and high cheekbones. She’s also good at wearing makeup that compliments her face.


Basically, because of her kindness and positive energy, all the little imperfections about her slipped away. Now, all I see when I look at her are the beautiful things. The good stuff is amplified.


So what exactly defines beauty? Well, the answer is different for everyone. But to me, I believe the source of true beauty is on the inside. Appearances are only skin deep. When determining beauty, think of it like this: Would you still think that person is beautiful if you were blind? If the only thing you had to judge them on were your personal interactions, would they still be a piece of perfection? If the answer is yes, than that person holds true beauty.