On The Outside’s “How Beautiful” is a song inspired by today’s comparison culture. Social media and contemporary advertising campaigns continue to set an unrealistic beauty bar that focuses an emphasis on physical beauty rather than the inner beauty within all of us. The result is a society overrun with anxiety, depression, suicide and poor self esteem.
The lyrical intent of “How Beautiful” is to refocus the lens of what beauty is and how beauty can be found everywhere...and in everyone. In the verses, the lyric asks the listener to stop apologizing for not living up to unattainable standards and “take some time to learn what’s inside”. The song builds with the pre-chorus plea of “I wish you could see what I see” suggesting perhaps that often times the glare of our own mirrors hides what makes us shine. Finally, the chorus is almost mantra-like in its simplicity posing the simple, yet often difficult question...”do you even know just how beautiful you are?”.
The sincere hope behind “How Beautiful” is to help reshape how we see ourselves and encourages everyone to find what makes them uniquely beautiful. If you look a little deeper, it exists in all of us.
