We live in a world that constantly tells you what to wear, how to act, how to look and what true beauty is. According to the Oxford dictionary, beauty is a combination of qualities, such as shape, color or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, such as sight. Although this statement is not false, there is something missing from that definition. Inner beauty. We hear the phrase, "You are beautiful inside and out" all the time, but we sometimes brush aside our inside beauty. Now that we've discussed the definition of beauty, what does it really mean?
It's so easy to get wrapped up in TV shows, movies, magazines and social media that show us how to attain the perfect eyebrows, the best hairstyles, the clothes that are "in style" and the perfect figure. The media makes women feel as if they aren't good enough because they don't look exactly like the model on the cover of a magazine. I have tried dying my hair numerous times to match a certain celebrity I saw on my Twitter or Pinterest page. I say tried because one of those times I epically failed and turned my hair red. My hair is somewhat back to normal now, but I still wish I would have never dyed it four years ago. Who was I trying to impress? Myself? My friends? God? Of course, we should care about our outer appearance, but we shouldn't dress only to impress others. We should dress to reflect Christ. God is beauty.
It's hard to not over think about our weight, our body shape and looks, but we can positively change the way we view ourselves. Eat healthy because you want to change your diet. Do it because you care about your health, not because you want to be skinny. Don't strive to be unrealistically skinny. Don't strive to look like someone else. Strive to be healthy. Exercise because you feel good. Run because it helps clear your mind on a stressful day. Do yoga because you feel empowered and on top of the world. Our soul is of greater beauty than our looks.
There is nothing wrong with wearing makeup, dying your hair or eating healthy, but if your image becomes more important to you than your soul and personality, then there's something wrong there. We can admire someone else's beauty without questioning our own.
"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Theodore Roosevelt
