Sophia McGuire
September 18th, 2026
What Is Beauty?
What is beauty?
My whole life I’ve always wondered that.
Beauty is meticulously doing my makeup.
Beauty is staring at myself in my outfits for hours before an event to make sure it looks right.
Beauty is looking at the food and wondering if it’s worth the bloat.
Beauty is waxing and shaving every natural hair to give a natural look.
Beauty is sucking in my stomach for pictures.
Beauty is pain.
My whole life, I thought this was beauty.
These same instances crafted together carefully in my head to symbolize how to be beautiful, like a woven blanket stitched to perfection.
But that isn’t beauty.
Beauty is that warm feeling I get when I see my grandma. Beauty is the joy I get hugging my mom.
Beauty is confidence in a close friendship.
Beauty is feeling your best at your worst.
Beauty is the stability of simplicity.
Beauty isn’t something you prune or pluck.
Beauty can’t be cultivated by a product.
Beauty can’t be altered by a craving.
Beauty isn’t pain.
It’s love.