An Emirati Eye: Aida Al Busaidy On The Multifaceted Expressions of Beauty – and Why We Need To Switch The Narrative Surrounding It
The communication strategist and Bazaar Arabia columnist discusses the way different cultures perceive the word and how we can alter our perception to make for a more positive thought process moving forward
Although I speak three languages and understand at least two others, I feel the Arabic language is by far the most expressive, and in Arabic, the reference to beauty is beyond aesthetics and rarely limited to a visual representation.
In Arabic alone, ‘beauty’ can be said in multiple ways from jamal to jameela, to hasnaa, to helwa or helou and the list goes on. All the names I listed can also be someone’s birth name so when you expand its definition or even describe the person, you can literally say “Hasnaa, jameela.”
It got me thinking of how the word beauty is expressed in other languages and how little we know of other cultures, because beauty truly is in the eye, the ear, the touch and the nose of the beholder.
Beauty, in its expansive form can be related to sound or music or a group of people and their characteristics. So why then, when we think or speak of beauty, is it that we are geared towards a perceived view of size, shape or colour as the definition?
Aren’t movies like A Beautiful Mind showcasing the complexities of a human brain bringing in chaos and confusion also considered a form of beauty? What about volcanic lava that doesn’t follow any form of balanced attractiveness but it does cause you to wonder on how natural disasters can be wonderous? Even more so when the lava finally sets, it hardens to form exquisite geological structures.
So now that we are all familiar with at least some context of beauty, we need to ask ourselves if we are willing to accept someone else’s definition of beauty.
Historically, society and gender roles have placed so much more emphasis on a woman’s beauty, placing extremely high standards on looking, acting and sounding a certain way. And if you google the words ‘beauty’ and ‘beautiful,’ articles that focus on personality, attitude or music rarely pop up and you need to dig deep or add additional key words so you can get a bit more insight on what else aside from women’s features can be seen as beautiful.
It takes a generation to switch the narrative. Hopefully in the future, google won’t only highlight women and their facial and bodily appearances. So, here’s to a beautiful day, week, year and life. And may you find beauty in thoughts, speech and in people where ever you may be or go.
Photography: Efraim Evidor. Styling: Imogene Legrand. Aida Wears: Abaya, Dhs1,450, SERRB; Serpenti Earrings In White Gold With Emerald Eyes And Diamonds, POA, Bulgari. Make-Up: Sarah Saya. Special Thanks To One&only The Palm.
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s February 2024 issue.