What if there was no word in the English language for “beautiful” or “handsome”? What if humans’ attractiveness was based solely on the placement of their ears?

The way we perceive the world around us is completely subject to what we believe to be true. Nowadays, for instance, a “normal” shade of skin is uniform all over the person’s body, the only variations being due to sun exposure (or lack thereof). However, the idea of a normal and appealing appearance has evolved over time.

The epitome of beauty in the ’50s and early ’60s was actress, model and singer Marilyn Monroe. Many of her modern-day fans are shocked to learn that Monroe was, in fact, a size 16. (The veracity of this figure has been debated due to the difference between British and American sizing charts.) Regardless, as a size 12 or 16, Monroe was not a thin woman by today’s standards. Some modern critics even call her overweight, which I find outrageous. Watch the scene in “Some Like it Hot” where she sings “I Wanna be Loved by You,” and you’ll see what I mean.

My point is that beauty is relative. Why should men and women today strive toward a physical standard that may drastically change in ten years? It is difficult to alter our generation’s idea of mainstream beauty; from the moment we open our eyes, our perceptions are altered by the biases of those who raise us. Parents’ ideas of attractiveness, whether spoken aloud or not, inadvertently influence the way a child sees himself or herself compared to the rest of the population.

Modern culture is also to blame, perhaps more than individual parents are, for the narrow percent of the population that is deemed beautiful. I have yet to see a Disney movie with a villain who is not deformed or abnormal in some way from the rest of the characters. Ursula, the antagonist of The Little Mermaid, is markedly more heavy-set than Ariel, the flawless protagonist, and I doubt the intended connotations were positive when Ursula was sketched with tentacles and purple skin.

I am by no means saying that attractive people are to blame for the unattainable ideals that young people vainly pursue. Theoretically, a sound society would not believe in the “perfect” person; nobody would be judged next to a single, irrational ideal. Instead, each individual would strive to be the healthiest and happiest form of themselves, and that would be enough.

Unfortunately, that is not enough in today’s society. We are judged next to that single, irrational ideal, and there is only one way to break this unhealthy pattern.

Teach the next generation differently.

If we simply stop analyzing appearances, we can change how the next generation views themselves and those around them.

Even though we have a solid idea of what is and is not attractive based on current societal opinions, it is never too late to start thinking differently. If we stop comparing ourselves to everyone else and judging each other on a standard scale of attractiveness, we can begin to overcome those trivial barriers of physical appearance and become more genuine human beings.