Can you become ugly if you have ugly thoughts?
Our perception of a person’s physical beauty is colored by our perception of their behavior – but what if we divorced inner and outer beauty?
TL;DR
- The idea that a person's face, including wrinkles, reveals their inner character is a false and widely held belief.
- Public perception of physical beauty is influenced by our perception of a person's behavior and actions.
- Historical concepts, like the ancient Greek word 'kalos' for both beauty and goodness, and pseudoscience like phrenology, have reinforced this association.
- The beauty industry profits from the idea of achieving 'inner beauty' through external consumption.
- The author suggests divorcing the concepts of inner and outer beauty, reserving the term 'beauty' for aesthetic experiences like art and nature, and 'attractiveness' for personal appeal.
- Health and well-being can influence appearance but are not indicators of moral desert, and 'inner beauty' is better described as 'goodness'.