A is for Aesthetics

Aesthetics, the word comes up often and most people can't give a solid definition for it. Is there even a true definition for this word? Plato and a bunch of other philosophers have philosophized about the topic and it keeps changing because the word almost seems to be a question in itself. I was talking to a classmate today in class after my presentation on "Teaching Aesthetics in Secondary Education" and we both agreed that the reason why it's so hard to define is because it is the reason why we question beauty.

What makes someone beautiful? Why are we attracted to certain people? Why are we obsessed with particular objects? Trends? Latest tech-toys? Sexy cars? The dimple on someone's smile? The list goes on...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some people have theories on attraction, such as familiarity. That goes for someone that looks like you (kind of narcissistic don't you think?) or they share traits that remind you of a family member or relative. We're comfortable with what's familiar to us so that makes sense. But there has to be so much more that plays into attraction and chemistry.

Another thing I was just thinking about are trends. Runway shows will display their latest styles at least a couple seasons in advanced. You would think most people would want to be first in sporting the newest look, but that seems to be the opposite. I can remember clearly when skinny jeans first came out and everyone thought, "eww, I would never wear that." A few years later, almost everyone (including guys!) are sporting skinnies. Again, familiarity plays a role in the attraction to wear certain trends. When we see it all around us, we want to be a part of it too.

Anyway, I'm not sure where I wanted to go with all this but since my research paper has to do with "aesthetics," I figured I might as well try to delve further into the topic. So what does aesthetics mean to you?

Speaking of aesthetics, I'm loving the aesthetics of my gold tube of "sunset red" lipstick. By request from Sarah, I took some photos of me wearing it. I have to say that the fragrance of this lipstick smells the same as the Lancome lipstick. That just shows that they're the same company, but is priced higher because it's sold in department stores. That's kind of scandalous.