What Does Beauty Mean?

In a subculture of the world where physical beauty is idolized when you are thin, regular girls don't stand a chance. I know that I am by no means athletic or within the "acceptable" range of weight for my height, but I consider myself to be moderately healthy. I could watch my eating habits better and get more exercise, but that is something that is a work in progress for me. It's not going to happen overnight, nor is my weight loss. But in a society where thin is beautiful, it's damn near impossible for a girl like me to fit in and feel adequate in this world. For the vast majority of my life, I have been told by society that I must be a size 0-6 to be accepted as beautiful. What I didn't realize at my younger ages is that very few women actually fit into this standard. Most women, particularly those who are not in Hollywood or anywhere near that business, are actually around size 8-12. That was a relief to me in some ways, but still hindering me from accepting myself as I am now in the size pants that I wear. I keep telling myself that I will go on a diet and then I stick with them for all of 2 or 3 weeks at most before getting off track and gaining more weight. It has gotten to the point where I am ballooning out of control. And all of this feeds into the idea that I am not beautiful.

My question is...what is true beauty? Yes, there is physical beauty and that is one version of it, but the true beauty of a person is what lies within their hearts and minds. God gave us all a body, but He also gave us hearts and minds to share with other people. I think the true measure of beauty lies within that of a person's heart. Women should not be treated as sex objects, simply looked at and valued for their physical beauty. Instead, they should be admired and revered for their intelligence and their loving/caring hearts. The same is said for men. Women idolize the men who are cut and beautiful while ignoring the guys who don't have the six-packs. (I am guilty of this myself) But a man's worth should not be derived from his looks either, but instead his heart and how he cares for others in his life and even strangers. I have seen men who are not the usual "good looking" guys go unnoticed because they aren't as attractive as the other guys. Why are we programmed this way? Is it a matter of how we were raised or conditioned to be from birth? Or is it a matter of personal preference to chose the "prettier" people. Either way, it is not the message that we should be sending to our children and the next generation. Beauty is not just physical!