Beauty. Without a second thought.

Style hands down. Flawless beauty would not save me from what passes for average style around here. Don't care how beautiful anyone is, nobody looks good in the standard uniform of boxy t-shirt, wide leg capris and crocs/flip-flops. I made a drastic change to my hair this last weekend and am learning to style it. Even though I'm not completely comfortable with it yet, I feel great because I was able to put together an awesome outfit today. Something about my red strappy stillettos makes me feel like a million bucks.

If all I need to stick with are my usual "beauty flaws" I pick up Style any time. Physical beauty (aka perfect features) is diminishing with age while style just gets better IMO. Also perfect features are none of your achievements while style is completely yours and talks tons about you.
I am sure I looked prettier in my 20s with young skin, hair and body but I never felt as attractive and confident as now.
However being on Style team I keep the right to look after my "flawed" features as well as I can :-0 I consider good grooming a part of the Style, not Beauty.

I don't know if I am taking the question the right way, are we talking eternal fountain of youth here? I haven't been especially tortured by my hair, skin, or weight, although of course there are things I would change if I could, and I have my bad days. The main thing for me is, in the end beauty just can't last. Style is better.

Scarlet, I believe all ages are beautiful so I was not really referring to looking youthful more physically looking at your best whatever age you are. I hope that makes a little sense.

Hmm, that makes the question more complicated, but I am still thinking style, because style to me means knowing yourself, which is a kind of power.

I'm with team beauty. When my hair, weight and skin are off I don't feel fab no matter what I wear.

Beauty, hands down. Easiest question yet. I'd be a lot happier looking gorgeous and dressing average than looking average and dressing gorgeous.

This was also a really easy question. Team Beauty, for sure. I've had bad skin and other beauty issues for years, and the money, time, and headache saved if I didn't have those issues (and instead had lovely glowing, mostly hairless skin) would far far outweigh having great style. Also, I occasionally worry about the environmental/health impact of using creams/lotions/makeup; but if I had perfect skin, I wouldn't be using those at all.

This is easy for me too; Team Beauty for sure, especially since I have had skin issues forever. I feel that style is something that can be thought if one cares about it, while beauty is mostly in the genetic lottery, although taking care of ones self counts as well.

Very interesting!

I wonder how many Team Beauties will change their mind as they get older? As clear as it was for you to choose Beauty - it was as clear for me to choose Style. Perhaps I would have chosen Beauty 10 years ago. I'm not sure. I know I would have chosen it 15 years ago. Style is eternal and evolving. Beauty, unfortunately, does not have the same longevity. I'd love to be romantic about beauty and I certainly am embracing being 40 - but style has a power that beauty does not possess. I LOVE what Scarlet-Rosie said. That really resonated with me. Thank you Scarlet-Rosie.

I'm on Team Style here. I can be told that I am pretty all day long (hypothetically)... but I never truly feel it unless I am well dressed. For me style plays a HUGE role in feeling beautiful. Even if I'm having a great hair/make-up/weight day, if my outfit isn't up to par, I don't feel beautiful.

I need to do a proper tally but it looks as though team beauty has the lead! Thank you for your time and clear arguments, I can see both points of view but I'm still 100% team style.

Team style for me. I think any stylish lady can look beautiful. i can live with the imperfections as long as the overall look is stylish and put together.

Ooh, Julie, you come up with the most interesting and insightful polls. I just had to chime in.

I put some thought into this and have concluded I am on Team Style. It was hard for me, especially given my lifelong battle with weight and body hair. Even with wishful thinking, the reality is that everyone simply must age. Clear skin fades with time, hair thins and so on. I'm learning to make friends with my body accepting each one of its flaws. And that is making for a much happier me. And when a much happier me dresses for my body, expressing my style in the best possible way, it just doesn't get any better.

Let's just say that wearing a killer pencil skirt or jacket makes me a whole lot happier than a good hair day

Well, since I already have normal flaws and killer style- I'll vote Team Beauty for something different
If you have just average style- do you really know the difference anyway?

Angie - I will not change my mind as I get older ( wait, I already am older! )

Yesterday I saw a woman with very bad decayed teeth. And I thought of this forum. I am lucky and blessed enough that I can take good care of my teeth. Not to mention the pain it must cause.

I disagree that beauty can't last. Sure, you might not look 25 forever, but a beautiful 70 year old woman with great hair, skin, bone structure, and figure, is still stunning. I think I'm not understanding the argument that beauty fades as you age? It changes, yes, but I don't think it fades.

Beauty for sure. But only because beauty in terms of this poll includes weight. I don't mind gray hairs or wrinkles (heck, I have both already!) but I never want to go back to my old body. I feel 100 times better about myself and more motivated in terms of style now that I'm in shape.

Beauty, without hesitation.

Beauty. I've found myself going back to a simpler style lately, more classic clothes, loose hair, very little make-up or jewelry. I want to spend money on good skincare, massages, good haircuts, dental/doctor appointments. In other words, trying to look good from the inside out instead of outside in if that makes any sense. I see simple beauty as style in its own right.

It's kind of semantics though too, it's hard to define average style or average beauty.

I've been thinking about this a bit. I've read some of the replies but not all.

If I am choosing beauty or style from where I am right now, I would choose style. I do not consider myself as having great beauty (far from it!!) but am very content in my own skin and comfortable dealing with my physical imperfections, from not-perfect skin and bags under my eyes, to frizzy hair to lumps and bumps where I don't want them. Not perfect, but it's me! Style is more elusive and challenging for me, but to have that would help tremendously in making me feel great about myself and in contending with the reality of my body and my looks.

Definitely Team Beauty for me. I will probably never have more than "average" style, and that's OK with me. But to echo what Maya said: "I'd be a lot happier looking gorgeous and dressing average than looking average and dressing gorgeous."

These answers really are fascinating. Sparky, I am no beauty myself. I hope for average. I also don't mind wrinkles, or age spots, or sagging or grey hair. One of my legs bows out and I have freakishly white/yellowish skin.

But I hope that I have clear skin and good teeth, or at least good dentures, clean finger nails and hair, etc. That would be "beauty for me". As I said earlier, my mom was dirt poor. She didn't even have shoes. But she used thread as floss, baking soda to brush and strong mint tea to gargle with. She didn't see a dentist til her 30's in this country. Today, she is 75 and has amazing teeth and very good skin ( yes wrinkles, some age spots, and sagging ) , but her hair is ALWAYS neat, her eyebrows always plucked, her nails always clean and shaped. You get the idea.

The only real " beauty" thing I want is a life time worth of good concealer for these awful bags under my eyes - that I cannot come to peace with !

No question - Beauty!

This is a tough one. I'm going to go with style AND the confidence to accept all my beauty flaws;-)