What is beauty?

The world sucks.
What is considered beautiful?
Am I beautiful? Are you?
One of THE biggest issues any person can deal with in their life is their self image. We either believe that we are good looking, handsome or beautiful, or we aren't. We are surrounded of images of how we should look: flat stomachs, flawless face with no wrinkles or blemishes, a gap between your thighs and definitely no stretch marks. The model, actors and actresses give us this "ideal image" that we need to aim for and eventually need to look like. And we believe them. We LET them tell us if we are beautiful or not. We judge ourselves, pointing out every imperfection and focusing so hard on it that it becomes a bigger thing than it actually is. Only 4% of women around the whole entire world consider themselves beautiful.
For years, Dove has had a Real Beauty Campaign going on to help tell women that they are beautiful just the way that they are. Their most recent addition, Real Beauty Sketches, touched me and really gave me a whole new perspective on what beauty really is.

My respects go out to Dove for the making of such a touching video. It literally brought me to tears.
These women described themselves so harshly, noticing every detail they thought to be negative. They described themselves as tired, fat, and worn out in almost an angry way. But when someone else was asked to describe them, none of those words or thoughts were said.
Look at the differences between how the women saw themselves and how someone they had just met saw them:

 These women were seen as beautiful. They ARE beautiful. The images described by strangers are so much lighter, happier, younger, softer than the images described by the women themselves.
It's all about perception.
How you see yourself is completely different from how people around you see you. You are beautiful. When you see yourself are ugly, tired or worn down, we believe that's what others see of us as well. But it's not.
We as people need to work on our self images. We need to see ourselves as others see us. We need to know that we are beautiful. Tall, short, fat, skinny, blemishes or not, we are beautiful.
So why let the world tell us if we're beautiful or not? Who gives them that right? You are more beautiful than you think

 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139:14

"Your beauty should not come form outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." -1 Peter 3: 3-4