Is beauty related to power?

Michel Foucault says that we all live in a web of power. According to this modern philosopher, none of us are beyond or out of this web of power. The dynamics of any relationship is based on the power struggle between the people involved in the relationship. The person who exercises more power is the one having an upper hand in the relationship. However, it must be kept in mind that this equation of power can change any time. The flow of power is very fluid and can alter at any moment with or without provocation. 

In the modern world, beauty is intrinsically (may not always be correct) related to power. Look at the fashion or women's magazines with the well-shaped body of the models-- their size ranges from 0 to 2, while the average woman wears size 12. The moment you flip through the pages, these so called women's magazines would make you feel bad about yourself. This is mainly because they have set criteria for beauty-- tall, thin, well trimmed set hair, no body hair, not an ounce of fat on your body. If you cannot tick off all of this criterion then you do not fall into the category of pretty. If you are not pretty then people will not be attracted to you, you will not be popular, you will not have a fan following and thus you will not have the world under your feet. This will ensure that you are not at all powerful. 

This is a very wrong concept of being powerful, because beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and also beauty is only skin deep. Hence not only is beauty transient, it is also subjective. Thus there cannot be any set criteria for beauty. Also if we believe the famous poet John Keats' opinion, then beauty is truth and truth is beauty. Thus by upholding the virtue of truthfulness and honesty, you can, not only enhance your inner beauty but also increase your outer glow.

One should not confound between glamour and beauty. Often we are misled by the glitz and jazz and think glamour to be synonymous with beauty. This idea is purposely fed by the media and various cosmetics brands to hoodwink people into believing a false concept. Thus we think, that if we adhere to the rules of the glamour world and fit in there, success and fame will make us the power queen. This, however, is a myth. 

True beauty lies in the confidence of a person. If a person has the right attitude and is truthful and humble, then the person is beautiful as it is. Also, a good attitude makes the person popular among those who know him and it is their due love and respect that make him or her powerful. We must also remember that Montesquieu had correctly opined that "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Thus instead of aiming to attain power by cowering down people, we should aim at attaining the love and respect of others so that we can be truly popular among people.