How would you define a "beautiful person"?
That depends on whether we are talking about inner or outer beauty. Outer beauty is more subjective, but inner beauty is all about how we make those around us feel.
Seems to me all that matters is how you choose to define it. "Eye of the beholder" applies to inner as well as outer beauty.
I think beauty is a combination of both inner and outter..both count in assessment of a beautiful person
The precise phrase "beautiful person" I believe always refers to inner beauty alone. On the outside, the person may look like a bulldog chewing a wasp. And I don't think I've ever heard it used about a man, it's always a woman.
It is based, I think, on the ability and willingness to care for others even under severe pressure.
If you want to talk about outer beauty you would say, "X is beautiful" rather than "X is a beautiful person." Again, still usually used about women rather than men although that has changed a bit over my lifetime.
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. Essays (1625) ‘Of Beauty’ Francis Bacon
“There is no exquisite beauty," says Bacon, Lord Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of beauty, "without some strangeness in the proportion.” Ligeia (1838) Edgar Allan Poe
@CuddleDuncan ..normally I would agree however, when younger ....I remember being on more than one date with a very attractive woman only to find the conversation so shallow that it diminished their physical beauty in my eues...thats why I think both are important
Although less frequent ...I have heard the term applied to men
I’ll take a stab in responding to the thread title, not the OP.
I don’t believe beauty can be really defined. It can only be experienced.
This is true whether it is a sunset, a moment, a person’s smile, a person’s thoughts…
That experiential response is personal and not broadly applicable. Sure there can be commonality if others have the same response, but that’s not a definition. And how often has something struck you with its beauty, yet someone else was unmoved?
Well said
I happen to think that the silly little things that make each person distinct are beautiful. Phobias, foibles. But that's few and far between now.
To understand beauty, watch the movie “Shallow Hal”.
@lovingspoonfull Thank you for your contribution/comment to this thread. I found your words on the topic reach out to me in a way and I am in agreement with your interpretation. I often see images of beauty or beautiful people upon first glance. My view shifts if I become more familiar with the subject and see them in the "light of day" so to speak.
The terms beautiful person, beautiful people, or "the beautiful people" had negative connotations when I was young. Today’s equivalent might be influencers, elitists, or some variation of neo (fill in the blank). On top of that, the rise of cosmetic surgery, tattoos, and a certain hyper-stylized, almost animated aesthetic has reshaped mainstream beauty standards. The contrast is striking. What was once considered unattractive is now desirable, and vice versa.
Beyond these cultural shifts, my own conditioning also plays a role. I associate beauty with familiarity, emotional expression, and even subconscious memories. Someone may remind me of another person, which colors my perception. In the end, beauty is fluid. I could meet someone today who completely transforms my understanding of it. It is a concept that can be as much about ugliness as it is about beauty, depending on how I see it.
For me…Beauty is the harmony between form and meaning—an interplay of perception and essence that evokes admiration, wonder, or profound recognition. It transcends mere appearance, touching something deeper in the human spirit: a resonance with truth, balance, or emotional depth. Beauty is both universal and subjective, shaped by culture, experience, and personal longing, yet often rooted in an intrinsic sense of rightness or awe. It exists not only in what is seen but in what is felt, understood, and remembered.
The answer is uniqe to every individual..I Justin's always nice when thoughts are shared...responses are enlightening
@Quiet_Cuddlez thank you for the note. 😀
And I think I have the same experience. An initial impression of beauty can either be reinforced by greater exposure, or reversed if in fact the beauty is only superficial or overwhelmed by other characteristics. That is sadly often true with people, as others here have posted, but it’s also true with thoughts, art, etc.
Sometimes I also think in the case of a sense of beauty fading, at least for me, it’s because I’m starting to take it for granted. I found myself pulling over on the road the other day because I saw a spectacular sunset. While I was enjoying it, it occurred to me that I had probably ignored many just as spectacular since the last time I really just spent the time to appreciate one, probably because I was irritated by traffic or just tired from a long day.
I found myself appreciating that one all the more because I could, and welcomed how it made me feel.
Beauty is that which makes your breath catch in wonder and joy. It gives you knowledge that something is right with the world. It doesn't need to be possessed. It just is.
A person's inner thoughts shape themselves onto a person, onto the way they move, the expressions that get etched on their face. For those of us who can see on this level, beauty shines out. And if we want examples (as I often do), just recently I saw something about Vivian Wilson doing a photoshoot. And when I saw the pictures I was enrapt. She's the most beautiful woman I've seen in a long time, so beautiful she shines.
Further in the past, a while back I was driving with a friend in the car with me. I stopped at a stop sign, and a woman crossed in the crosswalk in front of me. I did my best not to stare, but not only was it not good enough, it was also unnecessary. My friend said she forgot she was in a car. I can't even say what it was about this woman. Maybe it was just her poise and grace. But it was like she radiated power. Despite how brief that was, I never forgot her. In fact, I used her as inspiration when practicing my own more feminine walk.
One doesn’t need a movie to understand beauty or Keats’ declaration that “beauty is truth” or Plato’s proclamation that objective reality is beauty. I would point to the flawed retort of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart when asked what is hard core pornography and he said “I know it when I see it”. Of course that is highly subjective as is the nature of beauty.
Beauty, whether it be in nature, the intellectual, the sexual or the person as a whole is always in the eye of the beholder and no amount of reason, verbal gymnastics, or external pressure will change one’s position. A person’s core tastes are more or less immutable if the subject of their valuation remains immutable.
Beauty is a well manicured lawn
My dream woman has a special combination of inner and outer beauty and is, most importantly, too naive to know that she's way out of my league.
@pmvines See you have been hanging outside the gates at Augusta, Georgia again.
This is beauty. Selling half because bulls make money, bears make money and Pigs get slaughtered. (One of the few things Jim Cramer was ever right about)
Some people equate beauty with monetary value.
That’s why extremely shallow pools are referred to as kiddy pools. About the depth of a dollar bill.
Just trying to Make Eggs Affordable Again.
While physical beauty obviously isn’t the whole story, the question did remind me of this so I wanted to share.