Beauty--what is it?

Beauty.
Every girl wants to be beautiful. But at what cost does that come in today's world? You see ads on TV and in magizines, showing paper thin models, not an ounce of extra fat on them, perfect make-up, perfect nose, perfect cheeks. . . .It makes me wonder if those models and the prducers of the magizines and comecials realize what they are doing to young girl's self-esteem. If they do, they are monsters, if they don't, they must be the most unobservant group of people to ever exist. I see girls --myself included-- who cause damage to themselves, wether through anorexia, bulimia, or excessive excersize, or through keeping a twisted view of themselves and reality, suffering under the misguided illussion that they must look like movie stars to be truly worth anything. The latest clothes, the latest hair, the thinnist body. It is so painful for me to see that they do not realize that they are beautiful the way they are. Think about it this way- if you are not valued for who you are, rather than what you look like, your value will expire very shortly. If you get married, and your husband only loves you for your body, then what will happen after you have had a couple kids, and your hips are a size 16?

Thinking about this has lead me to a question. That is, what is beauty? If beauty is looking like a movie star, then it could be said that the beauty is really in the computer that did the airbrusing.
My deffinition of beauty is this: someone who has developed their charicter, and embraces their humanity.
Embraces their humanity? you may ask. Yes. Their humanity. If we are to truly be beautiful, we need embrace every part of being human. Yep, zits, bad breath, idosyncracies and all. If we do not accept this part of ourselves, (and it's part of everyone, no matter how much they deny it) we cannot be comfortable with ourselves, and we will not be free to be beautiful. By letting go of the mold we think we must fit, we free ourselves from the chains of society.
One more thing on humanity.
If we have not embraced our humanity, how can we help others do so? I believe it is everyone's moral responsability to do all that is in their power to make others feel their worth.

To me, this is beauty:
A person, unshackled by society, free to be themselves -and doing it too- who helps others, to feel beautiful, and in all other ways possible. A person who is trusted, and trust worthy. Most of all, a person not afraid to be who they really are- the good, the bad, and the ugly of it.