Thursday, January 04, 2007

Beauty





In Genesis 1:27 it says "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." If we all are created in God's image, not just some of us, how come our society says some people are more beautiful than others? How come we are all expected to live up to an airbrushed, tanned, slender ideal, devoid of the characteristics that make us each unique? Why are women scared to age, to have wrinkles and grey hair, when those features let people know that they have spent many wonderful years on earth, and have much wisdom to share? Why do women feel compelled to make their breasts bigger or their noses smaller, allowing doctors to tear apart their bodies for the sake of vanity? Why do we, when we're girls, keep wanting to be older, and once we're older we want to be young? Isn't this like a slap to God's face, a rebuke for not making us good enough? We should embrace who we are, and revel in our imperfections. we're not meant to be goddesses, no matter what the media says! People all over the world have some standard of beauty. During the Renaissance, women with large, curving stomachs were considered beautiful, because their large stomachs showed the world that they had had many children. The 1800's had women wearing corsets to create an hourglass shape. In the 1960's, every girl wanted to be petite after the Beatles said in an interview that they preferred short girls. In Asia, pale skin is beautiful...many African countries think that large thighs and long necks are hot. Why should the word "beauty" be confined to a small group of people? Shouldn't beauty, like love, know no borders, no skin colors, no body shape? Shouldn't beauty, like love, make someone all the more special for who they are, not who they should be?
Please comment on this. I would love to know what others think. Also, go to http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/. (And tell someone you love how beautiful they are.)

1 comment:

jennifer m. said...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That is the beauty of . well.. beauty. Does society dictate.. yes.. just like society dictated during the age where to be cuvy and pale was considered to be "the thing". Society dictates in different cultures.. just because our society deems such ideas of what is beautiful.. we need to take responsibilty with our reaction to it.

If I look at a crooked tree that has half its blooms.. is it wrong for me to say.. that tree is odd. NO. Does it mean it has no value.. NO.. it was created by God... but just beacuse it was created by God.. do I have to think it is the best thing ever?

Good post. Be careful. Just because one person thinks the blond girl with perfectly symmetrical blue eyes (and no freckles :).. is beautiful.. doesn't mean that same person isn't seeing beauty in more less symmetrical faces. It doesn't mean they do not have personal depth.