Beauty

There is a difference between beauty and attractiveness. That's a shocking thought for some people, because they see pretty and attractive and sexy as being beautiful. Not so.

I'm not going to make a list, nor am I going to discuss what the differences are, really. I just think it behooves us all to examine our own standards. Because if you think everyone who is attractive is also beautiful, you might be terribly shallow, or you might be terribly over-eager.

Of course, people aren't the only things which are attractive. There are perfectly functional objects (no, not that kind of object, you perverts) which are attractive to the eye. Designers strive for that attractiveness; very few designs are for beauty, really. They may tell you differently, but what you're looking for in a design is attractiveness.

Attractiveness is candy to the eye. You never say something is horrifyingly attractive, yet there are many things which, for want of better words as humans don't really have them, are terrifyingly beautiful. Beauty can be painful, or cold, or unattainable. Attractiveness is just good-looking.

I think a certain amount of trouble with interpersonal relationships could be solved if we just acknowledge the difference between someone good-looking and someone beautiful. I don't mind looking at attractive people, but that doesn't mean I find them beautiful. Attractive is just that; it attracts you, or your eye, or your nose, or whatever sense. There are no tales of spirits so attractive that men go blind to look at them.

But there are confusions. Are sirens (the mythical singers who lure sailors to their dooms) attractive or beautiful? I would be inclined to go with the former. Are things which are seductively beautiful really beautiful, or just attractive? I guess it really is in the eye of the beholder.

I can only speak for myself, but I don't think too many things are really beautiful. Most things just look good. Maybe that's enough for some people.