I finished ‘The Beauty Myth’ by Naomi Wolf last week and while this book tackles many topics related to the idea of beauty and it’s long term effects on societies, all of which made me think extra hard about my own self image, there was one concept that I thought was worth discussing here.

Wolf brings up the idea that society encourages us to view others and ourselves in a purely visual format. Media, and pornography especially, define people almost solely based on image. However, this way of observing others is a handicap that we’ve created for ourselves because vision is just one of our five senses. If you’re meeting someone in person, then the way they smell, sound, taste, and feel can also affect our perceptions of them.

So often we tie the idea of beauty or sexiness to how people look. Great hair, great butt, great eyes. But if you’re lying next to someone - there are a whole slew of other things that can cause attraction.

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