Thoughts

"All my life, all I ever did was look pretty. I'm on every mainstream magazine that one young fine lady can use to lower her already depleting self-esteem. My life was paved with gold because of my "golden" face and body. I've only kept one job in my life, and that is to look beautiful for people like you. I'm not even a good mother. And look, I'm not even pretty anymore..."

Interesting quote. Also interesting how this model thinks. Moreover, interesting to find that so many girls (and boys) look up to these pop-culture catalysts and regard them in such high esteem. Media portrays them as the epitome of beauty. They make sure that beauty - in all it's meaning, dignity and power - is found on the outside of ourselves and not within. Easily, our realities are twisted by such influential parties. And it's not only the media who does this, but also our friends, family, and even ourselves.

A lot of women would probably kill me for this statement I'm about to claim... but beauty products, clothing, lingerie, and even medical advancements in aesthetics (plastic surgery) do not provide you authentic security. They do not provide authentic beauty. And it most definitely will not provide you a permanent understanding (and eternal harboring) of a higher self-esteem.

All these things are not permanent. The kind of adoration, or appreciation, one receives from such temporary means, is also temporary - and to say the least, superficial. Are they admiring you... for you? Or are they admiring something else that hides the real you?

Am I saying that every woman I meet should not care about their appearance? Am I saying that it is bad to put on beauty products, wear clothing that will make a woman feel comfortable and make her feel good about herself? Am I oppose to lifting a woman's esteem, even if it is temporary? Am I oppose to the young lady who wants to go to prom looking like a princess?

No. I'm not.

I just happen to be an advocate of natural beauty. The type of beauty that can only be found if a person looks deeper than what meets the eye. 

[I cannot tell you what is beautiful. I may influence you, but I am not you. You may disagree with me. Perhaps, you may even say that beauty is found on the faces of people, their bodies or what they put on (or take away). You can tell me whether you are a "boob-guy/gal" or a "butt-guy/gal". I won't confront you with negativity. You may even tell me that the "rest of the world" do not agree with my perspective on natural beauty, because almost everyone is consumed by today's pop-culture. It's like telling me that no one cares because "everyone is doing it". No matter what I say, or do, people will behave the way they do because it is what it is. And there are so many factors that contribute to the manifesting of this foolishness.]

So in silence, I would be thinking of telling you, "go to hell." But I think you're already in it.

Real beauty, just like God, is found only when you accept it (it exists everywhere, even within you). Real beauty, just like Faith, is challenged everyday but never falters. Real beauty, just like Hope, is hard to find but will always be there. Real beauty, just like Joy, is not just felt but also understood. Real beauty, just like true love, is not just thought of but experienced and shared.

There are many examples I can give you whereby a person has taken a superficial matter/object/act/deed (call it whatever you may) and have mistakenly labelled it as a virtue. Some people have even mistaken true love for something that it is not (like sex, or money). Some people worry more about feeling "accepted" than finding their natural beauty. They reason with me with the kind of relativist approach and spit out words like, "that floats my boat, Neil". Well my friend, be prepared because at some point, that boat will sink.

At the end of this post, I do not plan to change anyone's mind. I have won half the battle if a person has taken these words and read them carefully, and later reflected on them. And for that, I thank you.

God bless, and may everyone find the courage to step up to what is true and eternal. Find yourselves within the midst of the chaos, and most importantly, believe that you can find the beautiful person that God made you to be.