OurSpeeches: Share with the World

The Beauty Within Doesn't Count

Written in: Grade 8 | Year: 2008

Do I look good today? Do I? How are my clothes? I know you noticed them. Well, if you think I look good today judging by my hair and clothes, then you’ re just like the rest of society- overwhelmed with the need to look beautiful; on the outside that is. You know how your mom says, “It doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.”? Wouldn’t that be a great quote to live by? It might be if it was true.

Good morning Mrs. Stula, Mrs. Cornell and fellow classmates. I will be focusing on the truth that is; THE BEAUTY WITHIN DOESN’T COUNT. Outward appearance is so greatly focused on today and almost always has been. There is so much pressure to look beautiful and if you aren’t quote unquote beautiful often times you are looked down on and rejected. A lot of this has to do with 1st impressions.

1st impressions can be tough. Usually a person will start to judge you within 10 seconds of meeting you! One place in which first impressions can be crucial is in a work interview. I know many of you aren’t employed, but type in first impressions on Google and approximately 327 000 searches pop up - most of which have to do with jobs, interviews and how to prepare for them. You know we are in an appearance based world when half of getting the occupation is looking good when first meeting the boss. Dress conservatively, not too much make-up, look the part, blah blah blah. Sometimes first impressions even prevent us from meeting great individuals. My motherly advice to you is stop judging others and maybe just maybe they’ll stop judging you.

But as long as there is media this is highly unlikely. Media alters our view on what is beautiful. Why is it that people think that in order to be a model you need to be skinny, tall, curvy and you need to be smothered in make-up? It’s because of media - on TV, radio, in magazines and other types of advertisements there are always ads that prevent us from focusing on what should really matter; the stuff on the inside.

Before this age, beauty was recognized, but for different reasons. Has anybody ever really thought about why it is considered attractive for a woman to have clear skin, big you know whats and large hips? Well throughout the ages, women have been expected to have babies to carry on a man’s name. Clear skin and bright eyes both give the impression that a woman is healthy and suited for carrying a baby. Big hips imply that there is lots of room for a baby to grow and large breasts make a woman appropriate for breast feeding. So yes there is a reason men drool over women with these qualities. One odd facial feature that was beautiful during the Victorian Era that did not necessarily stay beautiful was a high forehead. Many thought it meant that a lady was smarter because she had a bigger head and a therefore bigger brain. Some even plucked their hair line to make their forehead appear longer.

All throughout my speech I have talked to you pretty much non-stop about outer beauty. This just supports my statement THE BEAUTY WITHIN DOESN’T COUNT. It is a lot easier to go on and on about outward appearance than inward. So some of you say - wouldn’t life be better without physical beauty? In some sense it would be - no 1st impressions, no media and no bizarre ways of changing ourselves. But how far would it go? Would everyone stop caring? Would everyone in the world go around wearing torn clothes or maybe nothing at all? Would we all be obese, dirty and ultimately not happy? Outer beauty is complicated in the sense that sometimes it’s what brings people down, but other times it’s the very thing that people take most pride in. It outshines inner beauty because it is something that is easily shown and does not take time to find. But without inner beauty we’d be over obsessed, vain people with no feeling. What kind of world would this be then? So maybe in what some call the real world the inner beauty doesn’t count, but it’s a gift from God that should not be taken for granted. It’s the other half of us that we would not be complete without. So let me ask you again, DO I LOOK GOOD TODAY?