This past semester I was assigned to write a classical argument paper on a topic of my choosing. My procrastination and inability to decide on a topic led me to waking up the morning of the due date and not having a paper. I decided to do what any student would do and proceeded to open Instagram, Facebook, etc. As I perused Snapchat, a Daily Mail headline caught my eye: "I was too hot to be faithful." Shocked is an understatement as I felt my jaw drop, literally. My initial instinct assumed the line was taken out of context because surely no one would claim this to be true. Spoiler alert: it was NOT taken out of context. The author, Julia Stephenson, explains how her emergence into beauty led to the end of her eighteen month marriage and a rocky relationship record that began in her early twenties that continues to follow her even into her forties.

Stephenson supports her claim that "being gorgeous might sound like fun" by citing a Harvard University study that examines why "power couples,” such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, struggle to stay together. The research concludes that "good-looking" couples do not stay together as long as the average Joe and Susie. Stephenson cites the Harvard University study to justify her actions, but her lifestyle and circumstance does not compare to that of Hollywood stars. Factors that affect a celebrity marriage, such as social criticism and scrutiny, do not appear in Stephenson’s justification. Celebrity marriages are plagued by various issues that Stephenson does not recollect encountering in her relationships. For example, many celebrities encounter drug and alcohol abuse or domestic violence that leads to the end of a relationship. Stephenson speculates that if the Hollywood stars cannot stay in a relationship, then why should anyone else? Hollywood stars separate for authentic reasons whereas Stephenson succumbs to physical temptation and desire that flaunt themselves in the form of a "banker with blond hair and chiseled features", but does that mean a current relationship should end?

The answer, simply put, is no. 1 Corinthians 13:4 states that love does not envy. The feelings of insecurity that Stephenson experiences are not the symptoms of love, but rather lust. Lust focuses on the immediate attraction whereas love endures the long term struggles of a relationship. 1 Corinthians 13:5 states that love is "not self-seeking.” A sincere relationship does not validate someone’s worth, define them, or limit their possibilities. Instead, a genuine love causes us to seek God further and draws us closer to Him, His plans for us, and the glory of His name. 1 Corinthians 13:7 states that love "always trusts.” ALWAYS trusts. Stephenson's relationships have no foundation of trust because she continually abandons men for the thrill of someone new. The same concept applies to society’s physical desires. For example, Apple releases a new iPhone each year and society wants to purchase the newest version even though they purchased last year’s model that still functions properly. Both situations focus on materialism and instant gratification. In Stephenson’s case she desires man’s current and youngest model to emotionally satisfy her, but this repeatedly fails. She tells the tale of ending a current relationship because a man in an "open-top Ferrari" "screech[ed] to a halt" in front of her to ask her to polo that weekend. "Love does not dishonor others" so how does driving off into the sunset with a stranger in an expensive Italian car reflect honor?

The article does not indicate if Stephenson believes in God or what her beliefs are, but her morality seems to sway further wrong than right when compared to Biblical expectations. She continues to judge men based on their physical appearance; even her current 60 year old partner falls victim to being labeled "less conventionally good-looking.” Perhaps Stephenson chose a physically mature partner because she cannot live as vicariously as she did at a younger age or maybe she realized the error of her ways. As the article continues the latter option gains support. Rather than accepting the fact that her materialistic attitude causes her relationships to end, she blames her parents for her misfortune because, they too, are physically attractive. Perhaps less beauty would lead to the same relationship experience of "plain people [who] stay together because they have little choice in the matter." Logically this does not make sense because Stephenson, not her parents, decides to end her relationships. In Stephenson's defense, her upbringing may be the reason she focuses on the physical aspect of men because she witnessed her parents' lack of emotional investment in one another and indulgence in "a new era of sexual liberation", also known as the Sixties.

Her story exemplifies society’s downward spiral into moral annihilation, justifies the temporary satisfaction of earthly pleasures, and promotes the luxury of sensual relationships. Rather than embracing momentary pleasure, Stephenson and society both could morally lean on the Bible. Love cannot be rushed because it is made perfect in God's timing (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Spend time in His word. Seek a relationship with him. Pray for His guidance. Ignore the men in the Ferraris so that you may find the man after your own heart.

Link to original Daily Mail article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4333200/...