In the early days of this new year, I’ve been reflecting on the name of my business, “Be Beautiful Medical”. Some people might assume that I set up my practice and its name based on a superficial goal of helping women reach societal standards of beauty. It couldn’t be further from the truth and I’d like to take this opportunity to explain what the name means to me and how it guides my medical aesthetics practice.
Reading Into Beauty
The book “Survival of The Prettiest”, written by Harvard neuroscientist Nancy Etcoff, really inspires me. In it, she examines the science and evolution of beauty over time. Her work reminds readers that beauty has and always been dynamic. The “eye of the beholder” defines it as does culture, biology, psychology, and time. What is beautiful today in North America was completely different a few decades ago. Think Marilyn Monroe vs Twiggy vs Yasmeen Ghauri vs Naomi Campbell vs Kim Kardashian. Despite these facts, Etcoff concludes that beauty cannot be identified by a set of defined criteria…and yet a person instinctively knows it when they see it.
Etcoff conducted a study with babies to prove her theory. When shown pictures of faces, infants gazed longer on ones they found “beautiful”. She concluded that our “understanding of what we find attractive is primal, non-verbal, and innate.” In other words, we are born with an ability to identify beauty.
Beauty Is Not Superficial
For me, dismissing beauty as something shallow and unimportant means that we may lose parts of ourselves that are inspired by beauty. In this New York Times’ opinion piece, “Why Is Beauty Important to Us?”, fashion designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough say:
“Beauty has the power to spawn aspiration and passion, thus becoming the impetus to achieve our dreams.”
This brings me back to the name “Be Beautiful Medical”. For me, “Be Beautiful” is a call to action for every person who wants to live up to their ideal selves. I deeply believe that all people are beautiful on the outside and also hold their beauty on the inside. When there is a disconnect between a person’s physical appearance and how they feel inwardly, it can distract them from living their true lives.
My goal, as I’ve stated many times, is not only to help people look good but feel good. To Be Beautiful. Wholeheartedly.
I’ll leave you with one final quote from Hernandez and McCollough:
“We are extremely fortunate to be living at a time when so many examples of beauty are being celebrated and honored, and more inclusive and diverse standards are being set, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or creed. Individuality is beautiful. Choice is beautiful. Freedom is beautiful.”
Are cosmetic treatments part of your plan to be 100% you? Reach out to Be Beautiful Medical today to set up a conversation and free consultation.