![you asshole.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/galenkp/23uQiHuvAhbmnKfN57AFC8hXSERpyQzqNGstALn6iNGGXFbWH5FrmwG2zypGME8Rmv9Sd.jpg) *Beauty awakens the soul to act.* **- Dante Alighieri -** *** *** I'm an expert when it comes to knowing what I like; I can define it clearly and feel content despite others having differing options or ideals. I'm *unapologetically me.* This extends to how I see beauty in respect of women; I know what I like and am attracted to and despite it being a diverse range of things one thing is constant...*to me, beauty goes way deeper than the surface.* I don't have a *type*, am not partial to a particular hair colour, height or other such things...the beauty I see in a woman begins on the inside and works outwards. That's not to say I don't appreciate physical beauty, *it's that which makes me look more than once after all,* but connection only happens (or does not happen) after interactions on a deeper level than looks alone. When it comes to a woman's physical beauty...I don't know how to describe it but...*when I see it I just know* and I don't generally worry too much about dissecting why, I just roll with it, move on or choose to find ways to delve deeper to find out who the *true person is*. But what happens when there's no chance of that happening, zero chance of me meeting and uncovering what lies beneath the surface of that beautiful woman? Does that mean I can't or won't see her beauty? Nope. I watched a movie a little while ago called, *Malèna,* starring Monica Bellucci. The movie delves into how beauty can be misconstrued or judged and demonstrates the repercussions of such judgement upon the subject and others. It's tragic really, but it has Monica Bellucci in it so I'm drawn to the movie. Born in 1964, the Italian model and actress, in my opinion, is a very beautiful woman, has been all her life I guess. You can google her if you like, you'll find a million images from her younger days as a model to the most current images...*and yes, I know you may not find her beautiful, you're an expert on what you like and don't like after all,* but I do, very much so. I find her incredibly attractive, sensual, mysterious and...yeah, I think I'm pretty-well *smitten* by the girl, and based only on her looks as that's all I really know of her, unfortunately. I remember seeing her for the first time back in the late 1980's and thinking she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen - not far from the truth of it either - and throughout the years that opinion has not changed. She's one of those women who has retained her allure and beauty throughout her life despite aging, maybe it's even *because she's aged* that I feel that way; after all, I've aged too, physically and emotionally. Monica Bellucci has acted in many movies and I've seen most. No matter how they present her I see her as beautiful. Whether it's a gritty movie like *Tears of the sun* as Dr. Lena Fiore, the *Matrix* as Persephone, *Malena* as Malèna Scordia, *Irreversible* as Alex (warning, this is a somewhat disturbing film), *Spectre* as Lucia, *Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra*, as Cleopatra, or any of her other movies...she's just beautiful in all...I know this, *because I'm an expert in knowing what I like.* She's an example of how one can work with aging and how getting older doesn't mean *losing one's appeal or looks*. I actually believe it can deepen them as the person changes and the knowledge, wisdom and experience gained in life exudes from within and that's attractive. Would I have thought, back in 1987, that the 2023 version of Monica Bellucci would appear just as beautiful to me? I can't answer that, but the fifty three year old version of me certainly sees her that way and I love how she has *owned her age, worked with it and accepted it,* which comes across as beautiful in my estimation. We are all judged in life; others look at us and with no other information other than what they see categorise us: Attractive, unattractive, smart, stupid, rich, poor, selfish, arrogant...the list goes on...but not always are those perceptions correct, or even close to the truth of it. Looks alone are not an effective way to judge a person, however we live in a superficial world in which the idea of beauty and what's attractive is quite skewed; this, helped along by the media, glossy magazines and trashy TV shows that imprint ideas on people foolish enough to watch them. What we know as individuals is, *who we really are within ourselves*. We have the ability to look at ourselves inside and out, honestly, and determine unequivocally who we are and it's *that judgement that matters the most - the way we see ourselves I mean.* Of course, we can also choose to improve our true selves and the smart ones are doing exactly that, from the inside out. I'm not saying it's not important to present well here, I'm saying that *to present well, as an attractive human*, one needs to start inside themselves and, even then, people will still form negative perceptions. The key is knowing oneself I think. In my opinion, I look better now than I did when I was twenty, or thirty five for that matter...but do I really look better? I mean in other people's estimation? I don't know, and it doesn't really matter to be honest. I guess it's important to be content within oneself, at any age, and to focus on being the best version of ourselves possible at any given point. My best version stems from every moment of my life, the good and bad, and it happens within me then pushes outwards. Am I sometimes not my best version? Of course, but seeing it, being an expert of myself and looking to present myself better each moment, helps me to seek a best-life situation. I can't help how I look, but I can affect who I am. *** I wonder how time has changed you physically and, more importantly, how has it changed who you are within and your perception of yourself? Do you lament the *looks you've lost*, do you accept your appearance now as your *natural progression through life and celebrate the changes, or do you wish you could actively change your looks?* Is there a person you look at like I do with Monica Bellucci, someone you feel is beautiful, handsome or attractive despite the passing of time? Besides physical looks, what things do you feel are important to you, within yourself, to help you be or become your best version and how do you actively seek to nurture and present them? Feel free to comment on these things or others in the comment section below, I'll be happy to engage with you.

*** *** *Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised* - galenkp I asked my legit friend, @eveuncovered, for an image to use on this post, she obliged of course - Thanks for providing this lovely photo you took of yourself for my use Eve, I appreciate it. _{[All original and AI free]}