Wabi-Sabi: Beauty In Imperfection

We live in a world that sells us flawlessness. YouTube videos, magazine articles and TikToks revolve around getting the perfect hair, makeup, nails… every inch edited to fit a mould. Today, the beauty standard has a blueprint, and anything that falls out of it is to be hidden, edited or ‘fixed’ But constantly trying to fit into someone else’s definition of beauty is draining and will ultimatley lead to deeper insecurity. The most beautiful people in this world aren’t the ones scrubbed clean for social media; they are faces which tell a story, the kind that reveals your history. Smile lines, eyes that have laughed and cried, natural curls from the sea.

There is an old Japanese concept, Wabi-Sabi. It does not have a direct translation to English, but it essentially centres around the idea of ‘beauty found in imperfection, impermanence and incompletion’. The concept appreciates the uniqueness of beauty and how our flaws make up who we are. It also romanticises ageing, finding beauty in the way our body naturally ages with grace. Our age holds the wisdom of our lives and reflects the joyous experiences we have had. This practice is so comforting to me as it reminds me that I don’t need to look 21 forever, and that embracing natural beauty will always be better than endlessly trying to cover it up.

It is time to embrace our beauty without apology. I personally used to be really insecure about the smile lines around my mouth. My ameuo always creased and I felt like I was 50 at 18. But I soon realised that one, they are not that bad I do not look 50, and two, they are a reflection of the joy and laughter I have been fortunate to experience in my life.

Our imperfections are features of those who love us. I saw a really eye-opening video about how our physical features are little pieces of people who loved each other and love us. I thought that it was such a beautiful perspective on how we should interpret ourselves and what our ‘flaws’ actually represent. Our flaws make us human. Without them, we would all just be slightly different versions of each other. Embrace your natural beauty and remember that the ultimate key to happiness and inner peace is ‘being okay with the fact you’re not perfect, it is about finding beauty in the imperfect.’ -Kendrick Lamar