your own idea of beauty

ph: Simon Clarke

What always amazes me is how easily we look past the good things, the small things. Cause when you take the time to look, even if it's when browsing the internet or walking home from work, beauty is everywhere. There is so much talent out there, on online forums, on concrete walls, on stage in your local pubs open mic night. There are so many beautiful people out there, more than you can imagine. Probably more than you will ever realize, cause like most people, you will sometimes be blinded by your own idea of beauty. This always happens.

When I was 16 I had a male friend who was constantly love-crushed, on everyone from the pretty girl in our class, to the librarian in our school. We liked to tease him about it, I guess we just thought of him as a horny teenage boy who wasn't picky enough. It seemed as if he found 80% of the worlds female population attractive in some way. Once he came up to me and asked if I knew something about this one girl, she was in my friend's class and I used to go to school with her brother. My reaction was one of amazement, to me she was the plainest girl alive. Not ugly, not pretty, just a wallflower, nothing special. I asked him why he wanted to get to know her and he said: I was at this party, and she was there. She smiled this amazing smile and now I just feel like I need to get to know her.

And I was left choking on my own prejudice, having it stuffed down my throat by genuine romance (or maybe teenage hormones).