This beautiful day as I sit by my balcony window, gazing outside thinking of what could be, drinking my dose of designer coffee....Starbucks,lol. I reflect on a conversation that a very close friend and I had several days ago. He asked me to define beauty. If we go to a dictionary, the first definition of beauty is- the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities). My stark reply to him was that beauty was a matter of perception. When I said this, I instantly thought about how the interpretations of beauty have changed over aeons. Hmm, where shall I start? Let's say the renaissance period where to be pudgy in the mid-section (for women of course!!) and possess a high forehead was ideal, so much so that women of that era would pluck hair from their hairline one by one....ouch!!! In 11th century China, women endured having their feet broken and bound over and over again in what was called "lotus foot" in an attempt to have smaller feet. Kinda looks like what a majority of women do today with heels. Ah, yeah, guys I want to be appealing, but no thanks!! Or the Kayan women of Myanmar (Burma), where the female gender begin grotesquely stretching their necks (or the appearance there of) as young as 5 years of age, believing that women are more beautiful with long slender necks. Their necks would make Nefertiti jealous,lol. Moving right along...In Mauritania, West Africa, nomadic tribes view being full figured as a sign of success, fertility, generousity, and wealth. This leads to girls being force fed until vomiting ( I thought they only did that in Guantanamo Bay?) Being fuller, as a woman, is necessary to receive the highest dowry. Hmm, I wonder what I would fetch over there? I know I'm worth at least 75 goats, and a camel, lol. Or maybe in South Africa where a rotund derriere, known scientifically as steatopygia,(yeah, its hard for me to pronounce too,lol.) found among the people of the San tribe, (Thank you San great grandmother!!!) ,lead to the likes of Sarah Baartman being exploited and taken all over Europe in the early 19th century. Due to her natural feminine endowment. Much like what we have today with a lot of modern entertainers, except theirs isn't real. I'm not naming, y'all know who they are. Lord knows that America has gone through a number beauty trends. Skinny is in, fat is in, light skin is in ,dark skin is in, pale skin is in, tanning is in. Omg, all of these beauty trends are dizzying to say the least!! No, I may not know the exact definition of beauty. For God is beauty, nature is beauty, the heavens are beauty, life is beauty, health is beauty, intelligent is beauty. And I've said all that to say that beauty is infinite. And what I do know is that we, humanity, are the microcosm of beauty!!!
Mauritanian girl being force fed.
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