Would you rather be referred to as beautiful or as extremely attractive?
The question sounds a bit redundant, doesn’t it? The words beautiful and attractive seem to be synonymous or at the very least synonyms, right?
Not quite.
Although we use the words interchangeably, they are, in fact, two very different and distinct attributes. Beauty refers only to our outward appearance. It encompasses things like:
- Hair style, length, and color
- Eye color and shape
- Bone structure
- Physique
Generally speaking, pure and true beauty is genetically produced and cannot be artificially created — but it can be enhanced. In other words, if one is not naturally beautiful, the appearance can be improved but the person will never truly be gorgeous.
“Attractive,” on the other hand, is a co-mingling of external attributes and internal traits that combine to produce a type of magnetism that is un-explainable.
Attractiveness combines:
- Physical appearance
- Attitude
- Personality
- Disposition
Therefore, a highly attractive individual can be less than average in the looks department. We see the effects of this phenomenon in our day-to-day lives.
Consider that “odd couple.” You know the one, where the female is drop-dead gorgeous and the guy is just OK looking?
We all ask ourselves: “What the heck is she doing with him?”
The answer is quite simple: what he lacks in looks department he compensates for by being desirable in other areas.
We think that the best-looking individuals enjoy choice pickings in the dating pool. But in fact, it’s the one who is most attractive that wins at this game.
Take the wildly popular British R&B singer and songwriter Seal as an example. Let’s be honest — he is not exactly what most of us consider “eye candy.” He was, however, attractive enough to become world famous in an industry where good looks are a prerequisite and a golden ticket to success. Also, consider that he won the heart of the very beautiful supermodel Heidi Klum.
Attractive vs Beautiful
Beautiful:
- Beauty is a rigid, static physical image.
- Beauty can be inherited, photoshopped, or surgically attained.
- Beauty leads individuals toward the pursuit of the physical features associated with the word.
Attractive:
- Attractiveness is fluid and variable. It flows from the inside out.
- Attractiveness is developed and evolves over time. It is ageless.
- Attractiveness is an attainable goal for those who take care of their bodies, enjoy their lives, maintain sensuality, and engage with others.
We can alter our appearance with makeup and cosmetic procedures. We can manipulate our body and hair with clothing, tattoos, and adornments. But appearance is only part of the equation. Of all the elements that make us truly attractive, physical beauty is only one.
So What Makes A Person Attractive?
Webster defines attractive as, “The quality that arouses interest and pleasure. The power to attract.” It lists synonyms such as:
- Charming
- Charismatic
- Captivating
- Engaging
Being an attractive person takes more than rock-hard abs, a round and firm bubble butt, and a great set of teeth. It encapsulates and exudes the true essence of who we are as human beings.
The way in which we interact with others and the world around us is the key to being truly attractive. It is the way we carry ourselves. It is how we feel about ourselves. And, most importantly, it is how we make others feel about themselves when they are in our presence.
Make no mistake about it, physical beauty is a critical element in being attractive. Taking pride in our appearance by being neat, clean, polished, and presentable screams of self-esteem and self-worth — two very attractive qualities.
Simply put, being attractive is our ability to draw people to us… it is our magnetism.
