Beauty is frequently defined as a subjective quality of objects which makes these objects enjoyable to see. These objects may be landscapes, sunsets, beautiful humans and other artistic works. Beauty, along with art and aestheticism, is perhaps the oldest subject of aesthetic science, one of the most important branches of applied philosophy. It is also one of the most debated and sensitive subjects in modern society.
The word beauty has various historic and geographical meanings. In popular use the word beauty is used to describe the aesthetic qualities of things. This definition excludes the psychosomatic aspects of beauty, which include the influence of emotions on the beauty perceived or the ability to feel beauty in things other than the object of aesthetic evaluation. According to the philosophers of the twentieth century, beauty has been defined as the subjective ideal of the individual. It is determined by the type of thinking the person has, the culture which the individual belongs to and their geographical location.
Aesthetic evaluation differs from objective valuation in the sense that it involves the affective state of beauty which is to be found in the mind of the beholder. Beauty is subjective and not objective. Beauty thus has an emotional content, which is not to be found in things objectively seen. Beauty therefore depends on the emotions which the beholder evokes in his judgment of beauty.
Being beautiful is not merely a matter of physical appearance. While one may be physically attractive, it does not follow that he is beautiful or that others will feel equally attractive about him. One can be beautiful in appearance but not be found appealing by another. Similarly, while one can be extremely beautiful in mental state, this beauty will not be the same with that of another.
The beholder is the one who creates beauty in his mind through his own valuation of beauty. Beauty exists in the mind of an individual through his own estimation of it and not through that of other people. In fact, each and every individual will find himself aesthetically beautiful, but it is the individual himself who has to be seen beauty in all its forms. Beauty has to be perceived from the inner heart, from the inside rather than from the outside.
Every human being has an internal voice that speaks to him and will guide him in the right path as far as beauty is concerned. Only when the inner voice is accompanied by feelings in the mind of the individual will he realize and accept beauty. When he rejects beauty, he feels ugly and unattractive. He tends to lose his self-confidence and loses the desire to feel beautiful. The individual has to realize his beauty within himself and then he can successfully love others and feel beautiful towards them.