 | For me, physical beauty must be enhanced by inner beauty. Then, in addition, face reflects radiance, brightness, peace and love.
| | www.topics-mag.com In Search of Beauty
Nina Stoïanov from France I don't know how to initiate my reflection about beauty. Beauty, according to my criteria? How to handle the subject and avoid banalities as almond-shaped eyes, fleshy lips. lean body, blooming breasts, wasp-waist, long legs I screened several beauties such as Marilyn Monroe, Romy Schneider, Isabelle Adjani, Claudia Schiffer, those actresses, top models, queens or other celebrities. All beautiful women and yet different. I thought of my mother who was a real beauty, with long, red hair and blue eyes...little by little, I let my thoughts dream back to the past.. I have traveled to many countries and everywhere I had been sensitive to the magnificence of women. I remember some gorgeous Moroccans when I lived in Casablanca. They were numerous, superb and radiant. In Africa, I admired the haughty beauty of Congolese, Togolese and Nigerian. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (ex-Saigon), I was impressed by the young, slender, exquisite Vietnamese. In Ravenna and Firenze, I thought that Italian women were resplendent and the most beautiful women worldwide. I could use other superlatives and praise women from Spain, Israel, Brazil, Egypt to the skies. Every day, in class, I contemplate my Asian classmates and I imagine that if I were a painter, I would try to reproduce their delicate, charming features. However, for me, physical beauty must be enhanced by inner beauty. Then, in addition, face reflects radiance, brightness, peace and love. I like this inner beauty which I can find from the depth of eyes. Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder Williams Melendez from Venezuela Many people look for external beauty, and they forget about feelings. There is a proverb that says: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think it is true. This means that something or someone is beautiful, depending on the person who is looking. For example, if my child draws a picture, using many colors and asymmetrical lines, and writes down, "Dad, I love you", I think that it is beautiful. But if another person looks at the picture, he may think, "It's good, but my son drew a better picture." Another example is in art. If I look at a painting by a famous artist, it is possible that I can't understand it and think it's ugly, but if another person such as a famous painter sees it, he will surely say that it is beautiful. I think people judge beauty just in relationship to themselves. If I wear casual clothes to my job, the people who like wearing formal clothes might say that I look ugly. Another proverb says: Love is blind. An example is between persons. If I like a girl and fall in love with her, for me she is beautiful; but for another man she can be unattractive. I remember the end of the movie, Planet of Apes. When Charlton Heston kissed an ape, she (the ape) told him that she accepted him, but thought he was ugly. True, beauty opens locked doors. Many people look for external beauty, and they forget about feelings. But in the end, when the beauty is over, the same doors will be closed. How Important are Good Looks? Jin Taek Lee from Korea
As I grow older, I am beginning to feel good looks are a very important factor for success. From the time I was a child, I have been told that good looks are not important, that the important thing is inner beauty. But as I grow older, I am beginning to feel good looks are a very important factor for success. For a few years, the Korean economy has been decreasing sharply. Many companies have closed, and many people have been fired. Big companies are not hiring new employees. In this serious situation, few young people can find jobs. Maybe most people think they can get jobs because they are very smart or have special skills, but according to an article that was published in Korean newspapers, the common point for newly-hired employees is that they are good-looking. Since that article was published, cosmetic surgery has come to be a hit among graduating seniors in Korea. Why do the big companies choose the good-looking man? When they were asked this question, one official at a large, well-known company said most people tended to relate the company's image to the employee's image, so to give a good image of their company, they had to choose a good-looking person. I think this shows how important good looks are nowadays. If people are not good-looking, they don't find jobs as easily. If they don't find jobs, they can't marry, have a house, or have a car. So, in my opinion, good looks are very important in modern life.
| Kaguya Hime The Princess of Bamboo A Japanese Folktale about a Beautiful Moon Princess Retold by Chifuyu Omma from Japan Once upon a time there was an old man and his wife. One day he went to a bamboo grove to collect bamboo shoots, where he found a bamboo tree illuminated at the middle part. He wondered why and then became curious about what was inside. He carefully cut the bamboo and was astonished to find a pretty baby inside. He decided to pick her up and bring her back to his home. He consulted with his wife how to handle this baby, and they made up their minds to raise this beautiful baby as a gift from God. After several years had passed, the baby grew up and was a young and beautiful lady in the town. Everyone knew her because she was graceful and beautiful. Hearing about her reputation, there were so many gentlemen who proposed marriage to her that the old parents were now very proud of her and tried to make her choose a candidates. She, however, declined any proposal. She became very sad and was crying everyday. The old parents couldn't understand why and couldn't get the daughter to answer. On a full moon night, she decided to tell why she was crying and to say she had to leave home and go back to the moon. She was frustrated for a long time because the time for her departure had come. The moon beams arrived to transport her back to the moon. She said good-bye to her old parents and gave them an elixir of life as a good-bye gift. The old parents lived a long life after that.
Explanation of this story
This is the story of a beautiful moon princess, but it is also a story about bamboo, a plant which was once believed to be sacred. | |
