I see the headline caught your attention... glad you decided to see what I mean. I know exactly what you're thinking, "Oh boy. Another article about 'embracing my inner beauty'... here we go again." Before you click that red X in the top corner to avoid having to read yet another "be your self, because who you are is beautiful" article, I ask you to give me chance and share something that I've seen, experienced, and am now ready to take a stand for. You see, in the world that you and I live in breathe in, there are two B's that separate the population of ladies, and according to our culture's standards you can only be one of the two. That's right, you can either be beauty, or you can be a brain, but you CANT be both... or so we thought.

What if I told you, pretty girl, that your brain made you beautiful? What if I told you that the ideas, concepts, and topics that stimulate your brain and make you come to life is the very thing that shines from within, and radiates on the outside? What if I'm right? Let me tell you a little story to help you grasp what I'm getting at. Once upon a time, there was a girl who was solely identified by the quality of her make-up and how white her teeth looked in pictures. She was so consumed in looking "flawless" at all times, that she missed a thousand opportunities to learn, grow, and become who she was supposed to be... who God called her to be. She became so exhausted with the routines that came from striving for perfection that she lost sight of her destiny, to become a lifelong learner. Then one day, she found herself to be surrounded by people who pushed her, challenged her, and encouraged her to pursue the things that set her heart on fire... and that girl was me. Becoming a college student has been the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm immersed daily in an environment that makes me want to be a better aspiring professional than I was the day before, people that "get me", and a million things to awaken me in inspiration. I guess what I'm saying is, is that given the choice to be one of the two B's (beauty or brains), I'd pick both every single day of the week, but not in the way that you think. I do not want to be physically beautiful and mentally inclined; I want the things that my heart and mind are passionate about to be radiantly displayed on the outside.

More than wanting this for myself, I want it for you. I want that TV show you love, the one no one has ever heard of or can relate to, to show on the outside. I want your love for Victorian Era literature to show on the outside. I want your eyes to light up when you tell people about an article you read on new discoveries in the medical field to help cure diseases that twenty years ago didn't even have an official name yet. More than anything, I want you to see that what lights your brain up is what makes you brilliant, bold, and all together beautiful. All too often, I hear so many young ladies come off as almost apologetic for their intelligence, fearing that they may come off to others as "too much." Let me tell you something, girl with a mind, do not EVER hesitate from being a "smart girl" because you are afraid of not being an "attractive girl." There is nothing more beautiful than a powerful mind.

Hi, my name is Sara Beth. I am a future educator. I love learning about learning. Instructional methods for the classroom excite me, but not as much as knowing that I'm going to be a pivotal person in a child's life. I love The Golden Girls and films from the 1960's (especially yours, Alfred Hitchcock.) I tutor physics at my university's on campus academic center, and I am so interested in the sciences, training students in it, as well as helping fellow students realize that they can be good at it too with a little good old fashioned hard work and determination. I have made the 4.0 roll three of the four semesters I have completed so far college and I give every ounce of praise and honor of that tremendous achievement back to my Jesus who decided to carry me, mentally and physically through those trying times. I am a lady with a brain and it is ever growing, ever absorbing, and ever eager to embrace the beauty that comes along with choosing to learn as a lifelong career. I have a mind that is eager to learn, and that is why I believe beauty and brains go hand in hand. The same thing that makes you want to learn more, to be more... is the exact same thing that makes you beautiful. Please do not forget this.