But one of Hilary's most controversial stands was her decision to wear a rather dowdy hair band when she spoke upon the public stage. Appearance consultants were called in, and this travesty was removed, and the offending hairstyle reformed. Yes, women are taken seriously -- but only after they have proved themselves capable of meeting certain, often very rigorous standards of attractiveness.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder -- but that is what is so difficult. Because to judge the self by outside cultural standards of beauty means one is forever in doubt. Unlike measurable standards of intelligence, work performance, or even one's ability to provide in material terms for one's family, beauty is subjective. Her catty colleague may mock a thin fashion model for being too skinny. A voluptuous beauty is sneered at in the gym. A waiflike young woman is ignored at because of her perceived youth when she speaks in a court of law, despite her degree. And the only solution...
About something beyond just a subjective judgment. Look out at the sky, the world, and find beauty, as well as try to construct it on your face and in your body. Not that there is anything wrong with making your self up any more than it is wrong for a handsome man to wear a nice suit, to look like a professional in the eyes of his boss. But know that beauty is not something you can grasp, anymore than you can grasp a sunset. Even people called beautiful do not 'have' beauty, beauty is a momentary judgment upon a transient state in the world, and it passes and leaves both the faces of men and women, depending on who is looking at that face.
