What “Inspiring Beauty” Means to You

Beauty is an abstract thing that some often try to present as concrete. We live in a society where Euro-centric features are considered the beauty ideal, and anyone that looks different is inferior. But what is beauty? Can it be defined by something as physical as a face or a body?

People of color, especially African Americans, have been conditioned for centuries with the belief that they are not beautiful. The Ebony Fashion Fair was a “movement” during a time when African Americans did not have to access to high fashion design. Fashion organizers excluded African Americans. Eunice W. Johnson and Ebony Fashion Fair brought international fashion to communities that would have been exposed to “new images of black America – the hallmark of Ebony and Jet magazines.” Mrs. Johnson and the Ebony Fashion Fair “provided a platform for African American models as well as black designers, who were featured alongside the world’s leading fashion houses.” At its core, the Ebony Fashion Fair was more of a human rights movement. Mrs. Johnson’s journey inspired her and I believe her inner beauty was realized through her work and commitment to African American communities across America. Inspiring Beauty is a young woman’s journey through discovering her passion. A passion that will uplift others and develop her best self.

I do not think beauty has a true definition, because it is everywhere, and in everyone. Beauty is bigger than any physicality, but can be better described as an idea. Beauty could be confidence. Beauty could be intelligence. Beauty could be self-discovery. Eunice W. Johnson used her own inner beauty to teach black girls how to unlock theirs, through individuality and self-love.

Written by Jalyn Cox-Cooper