Last week as I sat on the couch watching the Miss USA Pageant, I couldn’t help but let my insecurities get the best of me. Naturally, comparison flooded my mind and I thought about how these 52 women are more “perfect” than I would ever be, regardless of how many cold pressed juice cleanses I did or how many times I tried to put on fake eye lashes. With their long slender legs, impossibly small waists, thick and shiny hair and teeth white as pearls, they captivated my attention as well as thousands of others around the country.
Fabulous figures and all though, the thing that appeared most striking about each of these women had absolutely nothing to do with their appearance. Instead, it was the way that each of them walked without missing a beat. It was the way that they smiled so surely. It was the way that they spoke gently and with unmistakable intelligence. What made these women some of the most beautiful in America was simple. It was their confidence.
These women exhibited genuine belief in oneself which not only made them seemingly more alluring, but it also served as a powerful reminder that beauty comes from within.
Maybe this confidence came from the way their dresses fit, the way their pictures turned out, how many likes they got on Instagram the day before, how many boys asked them to formal, how many girls were jealous of them, how many pairs of shoes they owned or how much money their parents make. Maybe this confidence was surface level. But personally, I believe it comes from a place much deeper.
I believe this confidence, the kind that is noticeable and genuine, is a true love for oneself that exists when no one else is around. It is not developed through compliments or praise, rather it comes from working hard enough to be good at something that you love.
Each of the women in the Miss USA Pageant, as well as so many others around the globe whom I aspire to be more like, are working towards a goal. They have ambitions for themselves, and high hopes of positively influencing others. Whether a nursing student, professional athlete, CEO or international missionary, they’re fervent about making an impact.
Personally, there was a time in my life where I possessed this same humble, graceful confidence; and unfortunately, there was also a time in which my confidence was rooted in shallow things, and became all the more fleeting. Having experienced both sides, I find that now I am able to recognize the difference. I can see how one is so fulfilling and impactful, while the other only exists from the outside.
All in all, the reason I wrote this article is not because I have mastered the aura of confidence and beauty, but rather it is because I believe in the importance of an environment that values this kind of deeper beauty.
This kind of deeper beauty appears when you say hi to the person you're not sure remembers you. It shows up when you’re not ashamed of your failures, but use them instead to help you succeed. This confidence is thinking you're right, but admitting that your wrong. It’s knowing that you did well even when no one congratulates you.
It's being OK with standing alone. It's laughing at yourself. It's jumping in the pool with your makeup on. It's believing in your God. It's traveling to new places with unfamiliar people. It's tending to the brokenhearted. It's admitting that you’re the brokenhearted. It's doing all of these things because you know you are strong enough to survive them, and it's doing these things because you know that you can use them to help people.
Though programs like the Miss USA Pageant might not be entirely geared toward inside beauty, this years mantra “confidently beautiful” is truly a step in the right direction. Attempting to influence women to strive for more than just a pretty face, the contestants belief in themselves set a perfect standard for what our generation of women should aspire to be.
Joyful, sure, passionate, sympathetic, graceful, humble, intelligent, confident and consequently beautiful.
