Normal? Abnormal?
But what is abnormality, or what does it mean to be different? Could it simply be what is uncommon, what belongs to the minority?
But what does “normal” actually mean by definition?
“The term normal refers to something that conforms to a norm, something usual, ordinary, or regular.”
But what is a norm, if not simply what is common, what belongs to the majority?
Most human beings are heterosexual, so why have we struggled so much to accept other sexual orientations as normal as well? Is it because they are a minority and, by definition, not the norm? Is that why the world still finds it difficult to accept them as normal?
A definition of something, or of a group of things, is formed by finding a common denominator. Then strict patterns and rules are added to it (could they also be called limits?). These characteristics become part of the definition of something that human beings automatically associate with a word, or even with a person.
When we think of a physically attractive person, how many of us automatically associate perfect beauty with the word model? And isn’t it dangerous to associate this adjective, like so many others, with a group of people in which diversity in physical standards is not always widely accepted or embraced? (The same applies to the adjective perfect. What is “perfect”? How can it have a definition that is the same for everyone?).
Furthermore, isn’t it contradictory to associate an adjective so deeply rooted in personal taste with a group of people who do not truly represent universal beauty? And how could they, if the standards and ideals used to define beauty and perfection were created by only a small circle of people who share the same taste, or the same opinion, about what should be considered beautiful and perfect, or normal?
10/2026 NIMA
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