Appearance
“All that glisters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life has sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.”
― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
Physical human appearance is a complex subject. I can stress that it is an important constituent in modern society. Another thing that comes across is that first we see another human being, and only after that we receive a chance to get to know anyone better. Consequently, the appearance is a started point.
I would distinguish some concepts that play a role for me. It is neatness, harmony and nature. My perception of appearance in this regard is quite old-fashioned because I just don’t trust the magical abilities of make-up or clothing to change a person’s appearance. There is a load of artificialities and tricks that can change our perception. What I’m looking for in appearance is permanent features.
There is an interesting tendency among some people to wear the same clothes every day. For me, in this respect people really stay who they are. Clothing is not a part of human’s identity, but nevertheless it plays a huge role in perception.
In the context of the quote mentioned above, I found my own instance. This is not about worms, but about winter outerwear. It doesn’t matter how beautiful you are, when there is -20 outside, you need to put as much clothes as possible in order to stay warm. On the surface, this little episode is able to ruin the external beauty one had been working on. It is also fun how in this case you have no choice to present it because all the body is covered. In the end, it doesn’t break down the beauty itself, but it shows its fragility.
Coming back to three mentioned concepts, nature or natural appearance is something that will be with a person and doesn’t depend on anything else. I don’t deny the ability to change it, but I emphasize the more permanency of it.
_______
The first impression is still crucial, even if you resist it. My eyes are able to catch enthralling and captivating features rapidly. The eyes are really selective to this sort of things because, for instance, I can’t observe the whole crowd. Who decides in this case? I determine to watch, but what I will see is not my decision.
I feel how it is happening, so I even cannot envision how really quickly it occurs on a neural level. I like the detection mechanism we have. Undoubtedly, there is about matching rather than making prejudice and biases which is just pointless.
This is a problem with the desire to please someone. It is almost impossible that one person is able to be liked by everybody. This is much more satisfying when a person doesn’t try, but leave a good impression. Trust and honesty start working here.
What may be a keystone here, at the very least for me, is the features. The appearance of all people is diverse, and something special can be found in anybody. For instance, the position of lips, eye expression, lines of shoulders. I’m confident that details play a significant role.
This is like pointillism. The whole imagery can be created only when you are doing step back and observing the integrity. And conversely, the picture is how it is because of encompass these minutiae. Thus, appearance contains from certain features that can constitute to the integrity of the personality.
There are two problems that go hand-in-hand with this which are idealisation and non-acceptance. In the first case, people overrate their physical components, and in the second one, they are constantly discontent with it. Both stem from unbalanced attitude.
I’m wondering about the intersection between inner and outer parts of the human being. I know that if a person is happy inside, he provides positive impulses from inside to outside. A lot of things start from inside. But can it be started from outside, in a reverse order? Can bad habits interfere person from movement?
I’m prone to think so. There is an interconnection between objective and subjective. Also, this is a sensation of one single spoiledness that may affect all the rest. I mean these fatal situations when people fall into the rut of repeated pernicious behavior, or some circumstances as the environment that don’t allow people to open.
It would be marvelous if people love themselves. Unfortunately, I don’t feel it from the majority of the people. They are in an eternal loop of dissatisfaction. Eventually, you can flee from anyone and anything except yourself.
When a person is dissatisfied, he is often irritated. It provides extra negative impulses and don’t solve any problems. Thus, changing perception and attitude about themselves may be extremely helpful. Once more the concept of easier said than done, but I also add to the idea of changes very important component as time. It’s going to be easier over time.
I’ve always known the idea that everyone is different. This is the formulation I’ve been carrying. Afterwards, there was a conversation while person expressed the same idea, but in a different way. He said: “Anyone is unique”.
Being yourself doesn’t mean stay the same, but rather being who you see yourself.
