BEAUTY

You are the goddess, so start treating yourself accordingly. Get your hair and nails done, take long baths, wear great perfume. Do whatever it is that makes you feel amazing. You have to pamper yourself, because nobody else is going to do it for you. Start adoring yourself. Love yourself from inside out, and slowly but surely you will become comfortable on that pedestal, and you will exude the kind of confidence that others admire. And what you wear up on that pedestal matters. Sweatsuits just won't do. I promise you, a great dress or a stunning skirt will make you feel much more "spotlight worthy," and others will see you that way too.

Nina Garcia (The Little Black Book of Style)

Last night, I had a few drinks with some of my girlfriends. We came to a point where we were discussing our personal perceptions of beauty. One friend mentioned the "celebrity effect" exuded by the alta sociedad. We are talking about headturners who are particularly conspicuous amidst a crowd because they either have a.) a beautiful face b.) really good skin c.) and/or nice clothes. Usually it's all of the above. This friend says she secretly wonders if people feel that way towards her. Hahaha. Forgive our self-centered notions. But all this talk of turning heads led us to discuss what it is that makes us feel beautiful. Another friend just confidently assured us it's all a matter of confidence (again original huh?). You just have to believe you are beautiful (and obviously she does) and others will think so too. I argued by poking through a more realistic confession that I think we all feel ugly at one point or another whenever we see ourselves beside these " rich headturners". We're talking about the oily face here, the history of the pimples, and the unkempt hair. My friend fondly replied that if we ever feel that way why not go to the slum areas where we can ultimately see whose the unfortunate and finally stop all these nonsense.

But then, seriously, what makes a person beautiful? My take on this is definitely not about the physical beauty. I have a pretty concrete idea of who I think is beautiful or not. I think it all boils down to the whole package. The "dating". No matter how many times you might have heard it, it's not all about the physical attributes (yeah I hear you, a beautiful nose and long legs won't hurt). The attitude that a person exudes is what makes her beautiful. I usually find myself looking at people who seem to dress for themselves. Those who make a statement in their style choices. They seem to be very interesting people. I think that's what my mom used to tell me. It's about the X factor. The one thing that sets you apart from other people. And if you think about this X factor, it just means being who you really are. Dressing up in what makes you feel happy makes a whole lot of difference.

It's interesting how Nina Garcia also pointed out in her book that people who are confident about themselves are intelligent people. I don't mean to be superficial here, but is this not the truth? I do feel the same way about people who look well and dress well. Embracing your own beauty and being sure about your style choices makes you a beautiful person. These kinds of people become interesting, alluring and powerful all at the same time. Scott Schuman's The Sartorialist and almost all other street style photographers capture this kind of style and beauty. The editors of French Vogue are the ultimate examples of an exuberant confidence. Kate Moss is my favorite inspiration for the word beautiful. This is closely followed by my favorite female musicians. There are a lot more that I admire but it will then make this list forever.

At the end of the day, the quote above should be added to the "daily reminders" corner.

P.S. This was all triggered by my desire to buy a copy of The Sartorialist's upcoming coffee table book.