What is beauty? German philosopher Rebekka Reinhard explored that question in her philosophical guide to beauty. To her, beauty doesn’t come from make-up, plastic surgery or any outward success. It comes from inner qualities: grace, style, strength of character and personal confidence.
An excerpt from the article in Flow Magazine issue 10:
I think beauty is an essential part of the “art of living.” You can’t divorce your desire to look attractive from your need to create a beautiful life. For example, if you care about your clothes, that’s a symbol of the fact that you care about life in general. The world is imperfect and it will never be like it should be. It’s hard to understand, and it often comes across like chaos. Making yourself or something else beautiful is a way of getting a grip on chaos, and making a kind of orderly and meaningful whole out of it. It also ensures that you’re not indifferent to how things are going. The desire to look good and the desire for a good life are inextricably linked. But if you think that a new nose or bigger breasts are the ticket to a beautiful life, you’ve got it wrong, because that’s the one-sided image that the media presents to us today. This image suggests that outer beauty is the key to a happy and successful life. I want to remind people of something they already know, really: that beauty is not just about the surface or superficial appearance.
Hand lettering: Viktor@chalkboard.nl
