We would call the image on the left beautiful right? This is something that has disgusted me since I was young. I remember once telling my pastor's wife that make-up was a mask, a fake thing that I didn't want anything to do with. I wanted someone to love me for me. That opinion of mine has been beat down over and over for years. Well, I'm not going to be shut down on this one.
About 10 years ago I was subjected to a Macy's makeover and then paraded in front of the boys of the class to be told I was now beautiful. They seemed to think that was what I wanted to hear, but it only made me more disgusted with them, and with the women who had subjected me to this hideous torture. Did they really have no clue as to the message they were sending? I am only beautiful with a new paint job. I am not beautiful as God created me.
To men who want that woman on the left, I would say you don't deserve her unless you can love and appreciate the beauty of the woman on the right. If you want the one on the left and you praise her for her beauty in this state only, I laugh at the cosmetic bills you will face in your future as she desperately strives to maintain this outer facade that you will cherish and adore. She will forever be insecure and unloved because she knows that you don't find her beautiful unless she is totally fake.
If a woman believes she is loved "as is" she may still choose to put on the makeup, to dress nice, to "look pretty" - but she does it because she wants to, not because she has to. A woman in love with a man in love with her will be able to be truly beautiful because she is secure and feels loved. There is nothing that makes a woman more beautiful than knowing she is truly loved exactly the way she is.
I have never believed myself to be beautiful, an opinion validated over and over by society and my peers, but I'm not going to do anything about it. I am who I am, and if you don't like what God created, that's your problem. I can't help how He made me. Sure, I've added 50 pounds to my frame, and that is my fault, but other than that, I can't change it. If you can only see the outside, you won't ever find out what kind of person I am. Your loss, because I'm amazing! If I were to suddenly lose the 50 pounds, start dressing fashionably and cover my face in makeup, would you love me then? Would you prefer it if I were a fake? I guess we'll never find out because I know who I am and I won't put on the mask to please anyone. I want to be loved for who I am, not who others want me to be.
I saw this video recently of Dustin Hoffman - I found it to be an incredible commentary. Watch and see what Dustin discovered...
On the flip side of the coin, I've noticed that girls are starting to show a much more shallow side as well. I have pondered posting this as a status update, but figured it would be odd out of context. I wanted to post - Are good looking people better at sex? - Odd question sure, but based on what I see in social media, that seems to be the underlying belief. So many pictures of hot guys with great abs and a girl commenting "I would do him" or something just as profound. Really? You would give your most precious self to someone for simply being born outwardly beautiful? No attempt to discover if he is a man worthy of your trust, a man with any depth of character at all, just good abs and a pretty face. No wonder there is so much pain in the world from misplaced sexual favors.
So.... bottom line.... when will we stop judging people for what they look like and realize that we were all dealt a certain hand and we had no say in it? Will you take the mature path and look for inner beauty or continue to miss out on some really great people ? I too am guilty of this, so I share my own process of thought with you.
P.S. -- I like a beautiful face or body as much as the next person, but it has never been cause for me to want to marry / sleep with said person. I view it like I'd view a nice sunset or a beautiful tiger. Beauty is great, but let's just make sure it is what it is and we don't devalue people because we don't think they are beautiful on the outside.
