Friday, August 15, 2014

Obsessed with Beauty

I attended beauty school last year. I have always had an interest in that area. It appeals to my artistic side. I still have an appreciation for the industry and I believe it does have its place in society.

Women have been beautifying themselves for thousands of years. We even read of many examples in the Bible. It is something that we will continue to do.

The problem is that women are prone to obsession with appearance. In doing so, they can end up destroying their self-esteem. This leads to them forgetting what matters--their heart. Even with the makeup and hair dye, many still hate what they see in the mirror.

In the modeling industry, I have heard it said that many thin models hate plus-size models. Likewise, many plus size girls criticize thinner models saying, "REAL women have curves."

Guess what? Somebody somewhere is going to complain about our appearance no matter how we look. No amount of makeup, surgery, or amazing clothes is going to change that.

God tells us that a woman's beauty should come from within and from her actions (1st Peter 3:3-4, 1 Timothy 2:9-10). He tells us to keep our dress in moderation and to focus more on being a woman of God.

Modesty is about helping us keep our focus on what is most important. It is about projecting our priorities to the world.

When we dress or put on makeup are we displaying pride or meekness? Is our outfit tasteful, feminine, and humble? God doesn't want us to be obsessed over our appearance. When we become obsessed with something, we take our eyes off of Christ.

I'm by no means perfect in this area. I've made some poor choices in my appearance. I've also compared myself to others in the past.

But I got tired of it.

We must stop shaming ourselves. Stop the fat shaming. Stop the skinny shaming. It is petty and un-Christlike. God loves us and created us (Psalm 139:13-16). We are made in his image (Gen. 1:26) and are therefore beautiful.

That's it. We need no other confirmation of our worth or attempts to measure up. God has spoken and that is enough.

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