Beauty? What is it? What makes a woman beautiful? Is it her full lips and perfect eye brows? Is it her amazing figure, perfect curves and perky breasts? Or is it simply the fact that she's a woman that makes her beautiful?
Society has been telling us that women are only beautiful is they are a certain way. If they are a certain height, if their hair is perfect, if they have the perfect smile and perfect overall 'look'. Many white women try to look beautiful by layering the makeup, spending hunderds of dollars on facials, skin peels, and skin care products to look and feel younger. Many black women add weaves and hair pieces to the mix. Why this obsession?
Why have we as women let society dictate what is beautiful? Why do we put ourselves through the agony of pluking eyebrows? Why the hassle (not to mention nicks) of perfectly 'stubble free' legs? Why don't we make our men wax their legs? Why don't they have to keep the stubble off their faces or their eyebrows tweezed? My DH and I talked about this not that long ago. I asked him how he would feel if I suddenly decided to not shave my legs anymore. He said that most people would probably think it was really gross and talk bad about me, but that it wouldn't really matter to him, although it would take some getting used to. I mean, think about it, most of us don't shave our the hair off our arms...why our legs? Anyways.....
Look at a few celebrities and what they really look like. We look up to them as some of the most beautiful people out there (Thanks to People Magazine) but look at them when they are normal, like me and you. Take away their $200 foundation, their $50 lipsticks and make them 'normal' and you have you and me!!!
How about Oprah?
http://www.battlehype.com/content/no_makeup/oprah.jpg
Maybe Christina Applegate? http://www.crystalpro.net/stars/christina.jpg
How about Courtney Cox? http://www.anvari.org/db/cols/Child_Artists/Stars_Without_Makeup_B.jpg
Simply amazing that without all the hoopla and makeup, these are real women, with real blemishes and real zits and freckles!
Dove is doing some amazing ad campaigns lately. Here is just one of them on distorted beauty. I wanted to pass this on to you. http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/ We have a long road ahead of us with our daughters. Let's instill true beauty in them. Let's make them know they are beautiful for WHO they are, not WHAT they are. They are beautiful simply because God made them a woman! God made man and woman in His image. They show the softer side of God. They show His beauty, His emotion, His spleder and glory. They show His 'softer' side. Let them see THAT beauty, not the beauty that is portrayed on TV and in advertisements. That's not beauty. That's vanity, pride and false advertising!!!
Oprah has a campaign of her own called Beauty from the Inside Out. Here's the link to some of that http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_past_20010503_b.jhtml
One of my favorite books on feminity and understanding who we are and our beauty is called "Captivating". I HIGHLY recommend this....especially to the Christian women. :)
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