As much as I hate to say it, we currently live in a world constantly consumed by the "standard" of beauty. Scrolling through social media and seeing these seemingly unobtainable and stunning photos, you can't help but to think...Why can't I look like that or be that beautiful? Everyone is guilty of it, as much as we hate to admit it, but what does it really mean to be "beautiful"? We tend to think of beauty only as a physical trait. For example, if you were asked to describe someone who's "beautiful", what's the first thing that comes to your mind? More than likely, your answer would be about that person's physical appearance; like their body, hair, smile or eyes. Maybe that's because you're used to hearing those physical traits being directly associated with the word beauty, or maybe you just don't fully understand the definition of beauty.
We all have heard the term "inner beauty" before, but what does that really even mean? Inner beauty is based off of your character or personality. Have you ever seen someone's eyes light up when they talk about something they're passionate about? How about when someone commits an act of kindness, wanting nothing in return? That's inner beauty. Inner beauty is what helps you to become the best version of yourself that you can be, and allows you to radiate with confidence and self-love...a type of beauty that is truly unmatchable.
In honor of today being National Inner Beauty Day, we took to social media to ask our BEAUTIFUL followers and friends one simple, open-ended question and the answers we received were so inspiring and empowering, we couldn't help but to share a few of them!
What makes you feel beautiful on the inside?
"Making other people feel beautiful makes me feel beautiful inside. I am an Esthetician and I love doing services on people and making them feel good about themselves."
"What makes me feel beautiful on the inside is being able to be authentically me on the outside finally."
"Being able to accomplish all my goals makes me feel beautiful on the inside. I have 3 girls that I have to be a role model to, so this is very important."
"What makes me feel beautiful on the inside is knowing that I am doing the best I can. No matter what. Also, knowing that I am unapologetically me. I get peace of mind knowing that I’m putting my authentic self forward."
"What makes me feel beautiful on the inside is knowing that past a culture that will base beauty off of likes and comments, I still do my best to be myself & have my own unique light in the world. Sometimes we blind ourselves so much finding beauty in others that we forget we're beauty too & I feel like that's the most beautiful thing you can ever have inside. Self love is what I find beautiful inside."
We also asked Sarah Hammel (@thecurvytrini), one of our long time Nanacoco supporters, what makes her feel beautiful on the inside and her response is so relatable, it'll certainly have you in your feels.
"Being kind and helping others makes me feel beautiful on the inside. The world can be a very harsh and scary place, and there is nothing more beautiful than being a light to someone who is experiencing darkness. There have been many people who have been that light for me, and being that light for others makes me feel very happy and beautiful. What makes me feel beautiful on the outside? Wearing gorgeous high quality makeup that's gentle to animals and the planet... like Nanacoco!!!!"
Just like all of our other Nanacoco beauties, Sarah is truly the definition beautiful inside and out. Being a model and digital influencer, her goal is to change the way beauty is defined. Check out her blog and watch her incredibly moving TED Talk below.