Lately I have found myself pondering "what is beauty?". Is it something that can be labelled? Does it fit a definition, if any? There is perhaps one that has proven to be apt in its description "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Many of us know this to be true for we have experienced it. Beauty in another is often found and made up of the day to day experiences of life. For instance when we look at a long term partner we see them through different eyes then those of a stranger. We see the youth they were, the father they became, the exciting lover, the shoulder we lean on. It is their link to our life that moulds the beauty we see. Yet we still find beauty in others, many of which we have never met. It would be safe to guess that we still use life experiences to judge what its beautiful by applying those ideals to the stranger before us. But in the case of lust and beauty this does not always ring true. Sometimes we are attracted to things and people that are far from the everyday realm we know. One need only search the the category "fetish" on deviantart to see "It takes all sorts" and "There is nought as queer as folk!". So I know that beauty is an individual thing and it can evoke strong emotions. Emotions that range from maternal love to all out consuming lust. Knowing this however does not seem to squash the utter dismay I feel when I see the lengths someone will go to point out the flaws they perceive in others. My lifestyle has often brought me to heads with this kind of person, both on line and in the flesh. I am just the kind of person they like to sink their teeth into - a overweight, middle aged, heavily tattooed, professional belly dancer. So far I have been lucky on Deviantart, only receiving a handful of not so nice comments. The postive has far out weighed the negative. Others on this site have not been so lucky. I must admit these comment bandits intrigue me. They have millions of images to peruse yet they seek out that which they are not attracted too. Is this some sort of fetish in itself? Perhaps it is akin to spanking? "Please don't make me look at one more overweight, middle age women or I'll come". Is that it? Or did their mummies beat them as children? Who knows and can you be bothered to ponder a guess? We come to deviantart because of the freedoms it stands for and the support we receive from it members. Here we can post our art without fear of it being removed because we do not fit the image that the media portrays as beauty. In excepting this free expression of ideas we have to include all, all beside those of course who hurt others. Unfortunately that also means members that have nothing better to do then spend their days insulting people. Still they are a bit like the pip in a grape, easily disposed of. A simple click on the hide button is all that's needed. Maybe before doing so do give them a little pity, for they are missing out on a glorious world. A world where beautiful men and women of all shapes and sizes, the tattooed and unmarked, are draped before us in wonderful poses, whilst wearing exotic clothing,or not. For those of us who are not so small minded there is so much more to see on Deviantart