Pure Magazine

What exactly is Beauty?

In my Communications Course, of all places, we were discussing beauty. My professor said that all around the world, there are different perceptions of what beauty is. The image above is a "beauty queen" from America...but what about the rest of the world? More importantly, if God were to be the judge, who would win the tiarra?

In my research, I came accross the website for the Oprah show. I don't normally watch her show in General, but found one episode to be fascinating. Oprah had a woman on her show that had conducted a study about Beauty around the world. What she discovered was that most women are willing to do just about anything to be seen as beautiful...and not just in America.

In Japan, for example, women truly value having smooth, white, porcelain skin. And, they go through great lengths to get it. Some Japanese women believe that by eating colagin-infused food, they are able to make their skin more smooth. This is of course contrary to the idea of injecting the colagin into your skin directly.

The Japanese also came up with the idea that you need to have a slim face to be seen as beautiful. They even invented a contraption commonly known as the face belt, that is designed to make your face sweat and become slimmer.

In Burma, women are seen as beautiful when they have elongated necks. The theory is the more rings a woman can fit on her neck, the more beautiful she becomes. Oprah's show quoted a woman saying that she wouldn't feel as beautiful if someone were to take the rings away from her. Her show also said that some of these rings can weigh up to 22 pounds. That sure is a lot of weight to carry for the sake of beauty.

Before I continue with more "Beauty Tips" (as Oprah describes them), I want you to ask yourself a few questons:

1) Would I do any of the things listed above in order for people to see me as beautiful?

2) Am I currently putting my body through similar things to improve my self-esteem?

3) Why do you think these women are changing their bodies so drastically?

And we continue....

The Maori tribes in New Zealand think women are beautiful when they tattoo their lips blue and tattoo their chins.

In Ethiopia, women are forced from a young age to allow their elders to cut their stomachs in order to make scars. The theory is that the more scars a woman has, the more beautiful she is. Once she has the correct amount of scars, she is able to marry and have children.

I think it is interesting that scars show that a woman is ready to marry. Do you think God would need that from you in order to become his bride?

In India, women are beautiful if they have "glowing skin", so they make mixtures of lemon and honey to rub all over their bodies.

In Oman (Middle East), the more colorful something is, the more beautiful it is (But they make women wear a dark cloak to hide their bodies).

Brazil is one of the worst in my opinion. They concentrate on being sexy and having large breasts. They are one of the largest diet-pill-consumers in the world. In Brazil, a woman is considered overweight if she is above 120 pounds. The last time I was that weight, I was in Junior High. Even at my best, I am above that. To a woman in Brazil, you are nothing if you are not pretty.

Are we starting to see a trend?

You are not good enough if...

You are not Desirable if...

You will be pretty if...

Where is the IF in the Bible?

Have you ever read a scripture that said,

"God loves you if..." or

"God thinks you're beautiful if..."?

The answer is NO. God has no if's. He only has absolutes.

He loves you.

He thinks you are beautiful.

He Desires You.

If you aren't getting the picture yet, let's look at a few more places in this world...

In Indonesia, if a woman has a baby, they tie a 45 foot long fabric around her stomach and bind her so she can gain her shape back.

In Iran, women are beautiful if they have small noses. Hence, why it is the nose job capital of the world.

In Mauritania (West Africa), a woman is considered beautiful if she is plump. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there is such a place. But, regardless of what you may think, it is not a good thing. Women are overfed from infancy, therefore resulting in obese women with many health problems. Many of them cannot walk and therefore cannot work....ALL FOR THE SAKE OF BEAUTY.

In China, women must have small feet to be seen as beautiful, so from infancy, the child's mother binds her daughter's feet (basically crushing the bones in the foot) in order to stop their growth. Many chinese women are crippled because of this act.

Who wants feet like that? Apparently, many women in China do...or DO THEY?

In Paris, most stores only carry up to a size 12. You are seen as sexy when you are slim and it's okay to grow old in France, as long as you are a sexy old lady.

In Africa, some tribes put plates in the lips of their women. The idea is that the larger the plate, the more beautiful you are.

I could go on and on about the many ways women can mutilate their bodies to fit an image. But, where do we stand in America? We can look at these images and find great disgust, but what does God see when He looks at our actions?

How many of us struggle with our body image because we do not fit into (fill in the blank) size of pants or don't wear (fill in the blank) size of bra? How many of us have considered getting plastic surgery or taking diet pills? How many people won't leave the house without make-up on?

This can be a serious motivation to examine our hearts and to determine what we are willing to do for the sake of beauty.

Proverbs 31:30

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

1Peter 3:3

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful."

What is beautiful to you? When God takes his place as Judge and will make his decision, is your heart in the right place? Are you trying to beautify your life from the inside out, or the outside in?

Let's stop this horrible trend of destroying God's creation. We are already beautiful because we were created in the image of a beautiful Creator. Please, let God do a work in your heart and understand that you are BEAUTIFUL just the way you are.

"From Easy Bake to Easy Virtue (Time Magazine)"

I don't know about you, but I have noticed a growing trend among young women today. The younger a girl is the "sexier" or "trashier" she seems to dress. Sometimes as I drive down the street, I see a group of girls walking to school or to the bus stop and I think to myself, "Did you forget to dress yourself this morning?" The second thought I usually come upon is, "Why do you feel you need to dress that way?"

Recently, I have been trying to get to the bottom of why young girls and women feel that they need to show skin to gain acceptance or love. What I found is that the media not only persuades young girls to dress sexier, but they also show them how.

In Time Magazine's article "The Truth About Teen Girls", written by Belinda Luscombe, the author says, "Girlhood sexiness seems to be everywhere: on TV shows and in movies, in advertising, in teen magazines and all over the Internet. Most disturbingly, it seems to be coming from the girls themselves: the way they dress, the way they text, the way they present themselves on Facebook and oh, mercy, what they get up to at parties." Luscombe goes on to say, "In one generation, girls seem to have moved from Easy-Bake to easy virtue."

Easy virtue? Is this the generation today? Is this the generation that is going to change this world for the better? The answer is yes- we were meant to change this world. But, it cannot be done if we are acting, dressing, and talking like women that have lost their sense of virtue.

Why has this happened to our young women, you ask? My answer is simple. The media is the largest influence on a girl's life today. According to Girls Incorporated, on average, a girl will spend a little over eight hours a day using some form of media (i.e., television, movies, video games, print, radio, recorded music, computer and Internet). Think about that for a moment. Eight hours is a typical work day for most employed adults. Girls are spending 40 hours a week using some form of media. No wonder we have problems with this generation! Look at what the media is speaking to them.

Compare that statistic with a few others. According to Girls Incorporated, "38% of young women classify themselves as overweight, while only 10% actually were. Also, 21% of young women find their source for fashion ideas through advertising and 12% through magazines." Oh, and here's a shocking fact: "100% of the Directors of Photography in the 2000-2001 TV season were men, 85% of the Editors were men, 80% of the Creators were men, 70% of the writers were men, and 65% of the producers were men."

I have nothing against men working in the media. The problem I do have is when a young girl watches TV, looks at a magazine, or goes on a website and feels that she is not matching up to an unrealistic standard, and never will. According to the Media Awareness Network, "Seventeen" Magazine "only reinforces the cultural expectations that an adolescent woman should be more concerned with her appearance, her relations with other people and her ability to win approval from men than with her own ideas or her expectations for herself." The same article says that "only 29% of teenage girls said that they "felt happy the way I am" as opposed to 60% of nin-year-old girls? Why the sudden drop in self-esteem? What happens between the ages of 9 and 10? Isn't that about the time that an adolescent woman starts forming opinions about herself? Where is the positive influence coming from? Some young women have none. All she has is an image of a woman that she will never be and a million voices telling her that she needs to be.

Luscombe said it best in her article when she said, "The real problems arise when the media unanimously suggest that hotness is the only identity worth trying on. And when they venerate physical desirability in young women without explaining how to use it responsibly. And when they define desirability in such a narrow fashion that many girls feel they have to amp up their sexual signals to measure up." She concludes by saying,  "The way a agirl sees herself is more powerful than what she sees in magazines. But here's the rub: What she sees in the media does affect that self-image, especially in terms of her body.? So what's the solution? How in the world are we to face a giant like the media? How as women will we be able to fight the insecurities we have inside and replace them with confidence?

I have an answer, and his name is God. It sounds cliché, but He does love us just as we are. After all, He created us the way we are. He gave us those freckles, he gave us the nose we have, the height we are, the size of shoes we wear, the glasses we wear and the way we laugh. He gave YOU your personality. He gave YOU your body. He gave YOU the life you have. Why do we continue to allow some vague, faceless, critical entity (known as the media) control the way we feel about our bodies and who we are?

You are the only one that can change the way you feel about YOU. Sure, we all know that none of us are perfect. But here?s the catch: God focuses on the good. He created you for good. There is a reason He put you on this earth.

Ephesians 2:10 (New International Version)

10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

He also said:

1 Corinthians 6:19 (New International Version)

19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Let's begin to see ourselves the way God intended us to: beautiful, pure, righteous, and FULL of purpose.

In a recent article entitled "Taylor Swift & Friends ? Millennial Entertainers Remove the Gloom" by Alie James, the author discusses our generation and how Taylor Swift could possibly be the new "Millenial Role Model".

James went on to say that, "Her songs communicate to them that there?s no need to be anyone but yourself ? exactly who you are and who you want to be" and that Swift "shows these young girls a different kind of sexuality - one that's natural, sweet, and innocent".

To conclude, the author says, "Taylor takes a new approach to Celebrity ? humility, authenticity, intelligence!"

What I found to be so amazing about this article was that someone in the "secular" music industry could make such a profound impact by speaking and exemplifying values taught by God.

1 Peter 3:3-5 (New International Version)

3"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful."

What God says is just what Taylor Swift is communicating through her music: "There is no need to be anyone but yourself - exactly who you are and who you want to be (ie, natural, sweet, and innocent)."

Wouldn't it be amazing if this generation was one that followed those values? Wouldn't it be amazing if young women threw away their trashy, revealing clothing and started dressing like women of the past? And no, I am not saying we should all go get old fashioned robes and cover our bodies head to toe. What I am saying is that we should take on a new sense of self worth, respecting our bodies as Christ intended. Clothing ourselves with strength and dignity (as mentioned in Proverbs 31).

When I see a woman that is dressed modestly and carries herself with respect, I want to respect her. I see her as a mature woman that values her body and treats it the right way.

This in no way is me saying that we need to hide in the shadows and not be noticed. Modesty is not a form of "hiding", but rather I think it makes you shine in a world of indecency.

Philippians 2:14

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[c] the word of life?in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing."

Are you surprised to hear that by following God's values, you are able to SHINE?

That same article references a book called, "The Fourth Turning ? An American Prophecy" by William Strauss and Neil Howe. The authors say that "the Millennial Generation would be 'the hero generation.' ... and at the climax of the crisis, their heroism would make the difference between a bright and dark future for all of us."

I have not read this book, nor do I know anything about the authors' Religious beliefs. One thing I do know, is that God is not a small God. He is very big and He does very big things. It is not surprising to me that He would choose a generation of strong people at such a time as this to show how big He really is.

So whether Taylor Swift is a role model you want to look up to or not, one thing is evident to me. This is the time to stand out, stand up, and stand for what is right.

Let's begin to dress, act, speak, and live out the values that Christ taught. If we do this, our generation may be one that others turn to in History books and see that God is a very big God.