What Good is Beauty?

All this talk about "re-defining beauty" is weird to me.

I would think if we are honest, we don't view every single person as beautiful physically.  We can talk all we want, but deep down inside, we don't really always see beauty in every person we look at during our first impression phase.  The thing is, we all have a different opinion on that subject too, so why does it matter so much?  I don't really see that that is the problem.  The problem IMO is the value we place on that physical beauty that we have very little control over.  We don't get to pick our face before we're born, we don't choose how our metabolism will work, we don't choose if we'll have a deformity or have a debilitating accident along the way that alters our appearance.  Sure, we can exercise and eat right to try to maintain a certain body type, but we all know that doesn't always help either.  And those girls that appear so pretty... any idea how much money they spend on products to get them to that place?  It's a crazy mask of artwork.  At some point, it's gonna come off.

It bugs me when I see so many comments on pics of good looking actors that say "I wanna have your babies" -- What makes you think that guy would be a good father? Being hot doesn't make good father material.  I don't think this mentality is relegated to internet comments either, I see people of all ages aching to date someone that they know nothing about other than their looks.  I just don't get that.  To those of you who are thinking in the back of your mind that I am one of those people, I assure you, I am not.  Yes, I pin pics of good looking celebs in my Pinterest account, but I have never said I wanted to date/marry/sleep with any of them.  They are simply artwork to me.  God did a good job and I admire His workmanship.  ;) I realize that I don't know who they are, so there is nothing in me that thinks beyond the art status.  If I'm going to be attracted to a guy, it's going to be based on getting to know his character... true beauty.

We elevate the physically beautiful people based on something they did nothing to obtain.  We push away and ignore and abuse those who we deem ugly.  THAT is the problem.  It's no different than racial discrimination I would say.  To treat someone based on a characteristic they can't control is wrong.  We should value ALL humans based on the fact that they are created in the image of God.  Their true beauty should never be on the outside, but only on the inside where they have a choice.

Inner beauty is a different story.  That is where we all have opportunity to make a choice and grow and improve our own self and nothing can stop us.  We all have equal opportunity to become a better, more beautiful person.  When we talk inner beauty, there are still pretty people, and there are ugly people, but this time, it's not out of their control.  If we're going to redefine beauty, this is where we must start.  Trying to force society to see fat girls as beautiful isn't getting us very far.  (that's the only thing I've really seen being pushed so far)  I have seen plenty of pretty fat girls, and I've seen ugly skinny girls, it just isn't what is important.  I've known numerous people that I put in one box on first impression , yet on further encounters, moved them to the other box based on who came out from the inside.

Dustin Hoffman on beauty

Watch this clip ^^  Dustin had the epiphany.  This is an incredible revelation.

May we all grow in seeing each other as valuable because we were all created in the image of God.  The packaging doesn't matter, it's the character that really counts.  What have we missed out on in life by discounting someone because they are not our standard of beauty?