There was once a time, not so long ago, when our world had a very different expectation of beauty. Women were envied for extra weight, for it meant that they had enough money to feed themselves. If they had wrinkles on their face, they would wear them with pride. To them, wrinkles meant they had lived a longer life than many at that time. Judged by the price and elegance of their clothing, they would strut around in floor-length gowns embellished with lace and jewels. They would drug themselves to look paler, because dark skin was considered less then human. But that was what was beautiful, so that was what they did.

In today's world, things could not be more opposite. Women starve themselves in order to be skinnier. They spend hundreds upon thousands of dollars on anti-aging cream and anti-wrinkle treatments to try to look younger then they are. They spray themselves with chemicals to darken their skin color, when just a few hundred years ago, they would have been shunned and discriminated against for that same color. They wear short, skin-tight clothing that reveals a disgraceful amount of skin. Everywhere one looks, they see adds and examples telling them how to look, act, and feel; everywhere they look, they see "beauty." All they can do is try to imitate it, try to make themselves "beautiful" in the eyes of the world.

So what is "beauty?" Is it thick, or thin? Is it light, or dark? Is it weathered, or new? Is it freckled, or flawless? The truth is that there is no perfect example of true beauty. It is what we make of it. True beauty is something that comes from inside you, and shines for everyone to see. Beauty is different for everyone, but true beauty is something that no amount of plastic surgery or spray tan can give you. It is individual from all the standards set by modern media. Trends and expectations will change and fade. But beauty-true beauty-will always stay the same.