Is Beauty Cosmetic?

To say that beauty is cosmetic is quite possibly an oxymoron. Defining and quantifying beauty was the sport of philosophers long before the tabloid press became our holy books and the cult of celebrity omnipotent:

Plato, Symposium 360BCE: Beauty is "an everlasting loveliness which neither comes nor ages, which never flowers nor fades"
Confucius. 551- 479 BCE: "Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it"
Einstein, Living Philosophies 1931: The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious - the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science"

Judging by the volumes written on the subject, it is beauty that makes the world go around. It permeates every living being, every cell and every atom. It exists as a constant, timeless, boundless truth that is as old as the hills yet as fresh and innocent as a newborn baby. Beauty is as entwined in the cholera causing micro-organism as it is in the virgin rainforests of the Amazon. Real beauty is not only life affirming, it is life creating and that is a cause worth striving for.

But does this abstract definition of beauty help us on a day by day basis? The simple task of asking someone to describe beauty will lead many on a path of objectification directed at the body.

Our tendency to critically evaluate beauty in terms of our physicality, judging it against a 'contrived' ideal is not surprising given the attention and value that society lavishes on our looks.

This critical analysis has a plethora of origins, not least biological as we as a species employ beauty as a measure of health and sexual vitality. However, in the modern world these primal urges have been skewed slightly and fashioned into a modern definition of beauty that focuses on what we can see, what we can touch and what feelings we can attach to it. Reproduction can be 'managed' and health (including ageing) can be 'planned' and 'corrected'.

So beauty is cosmetic? Let's investigate further.

A quick flick through 'dictionary.com' (1) tells us that the adjective 'Cosmetic' means 'used or done superficially to make something look better, more attractive or more impressive' a definition that seem rather flippant when pitched against the words Greek origin Kosmos meaning order, arrangement or Kosmetos - adornment, arranged - terms that fit neatly with the idea of beauty being a universal truth that exists in all things. The Greek definition needs no 'perfecting' it just benefits from being organised in a way that allows us to admire it at its full potential.

These two definitions seem to back up the idea that 'cosmetic beauty' is indeed oxymoronic - beauty is complete, amazing and timeless and cosmetic implies 'requires something to be added' imperfect, changeable. BC - Before Cosmetics.

But if we choose to work with the Greek definition, 'cosmetic beauty' is not an oxymoron, cosmetic is the surface reflecting the essence of being. Cosmetics are the tools which serve to celebrate beauty, the virtual pallet that brings colour to this life force. Cosmetics serve us. We are already perfect; we bring our perfection to them and not the other way around.

So is it our fault that the term 'cosmetic' divorced its deeper meaning after starting affair with the God of all things 'bling'? And did the beauty industry rip apart this marriage?

If beauty is achieved by just being then the role of the beauty industry is to celebrate that. Cosmetic products should serve to adorn and accentuates beauty in a subservient rather than a masterful way. They should frame and celebrate this inbuilt perfection and acts so as to bring out the colours of our soul or spirit on any given day. Just like we might frame a painting or decorate our house with trinkets, our cosmetics serve to inject a 'mood', a 'personality', a 'feeling'. They are tools that exist for fun and we are the child in the toyshop eager to play, create and explore the possibilities

So, as a brand owner, therapist or hobbiest how will you choose to play?

• Cosmetic/ Kosmetos: To Adorn and accentuate beauty. We are the masters; we exist as beautiful creatures and choose to celebrate this both internally and superficially.

OR

• Cosmetic: Used or done superficially to make something look better, more attractive or impressive. We are enslaved by our need for completeness. Our 'skin' is our currency buying us the status and opportunity that our inner-self can't attain.

We can choose the words that we use as carefully as we like but the rest is up to individual interpretation and often it's those that shout loudest that get heard.

So, if you think that real beauty is worth fighting for then why not join with us at New Direction where beauty is absolute and the future is yours for the taking.

Amanda Foxon-Hill

26 July 2011