Be-YOU-tiful

Today I'm writing for all you women who rock the world but don't know it yet. For the women who wake up with some kind of longing to have blonder hair, darker hair, a smaller nose, a bigger nose, bigger boobs, smaller boobs, clearer skin, a higher GPA, a more chic wardrobe, more awards and accolades, be more athletic, taller, shorter, thinner, straighter teeth etc etc etccccc.

This past weekend I had a conversation with my family about how ridiculous the definition of "skinny" and "beautiful" are becoming after seeing the Cosmo controversy on the supposed "plus size model," who is one fit looking lady if you ask me. I'm the first to say that taking care of our bodies and doing what makes us feel good about ourselves is a WONDERFUL thing. However, the problem is that we are becoming a comparative society. One in which we can only be beautiful if we are more aesthetically pleasing than the next person. We are constantly judging ourselves against an unhealthy, unrealistic ideal, and adding to an endless list of things we need to improve our appearances. We need more luscious eyelashes, longer and thicker hair, fuller lips, less wrinkles, less cellulite, more muscle definition, sharper cheekbones, fuller chests, flatter tummies, tanner skin, perfectly painted nails, whiter teeth, and the list goes on and on.

I was reading a study which "asked people to judge an average-looking woman after being exposed to one of two series of other women. Half the participants judged the target woman after seeing a series of unusually beautiful women [or might I add enhanced women]; the other half judged her after seeing a series of average-looking women. As in the case of expose to extremes of water temperature, exposure to extremes of physical appearance affected people’s judgments of what was average. As [they] had predicted, an average-looking woman was judged significantly uglier than normal if the subjects had just been gazing at a series of beauties" (Kenrick).

Another interesting point that I would like to quickly make is that pornography is doing the same thing to our relationships. Studies also confirm that when a man or woman views any pornographic media, they immediately feel less satisfaction in their current relationships.

We need to change this by refusing to be part of the issue.

Zara says: "YOU are beautiful"

Last night I was pretty bummed after trying on a bunch of my pre-preg jeans. Not surprisingly they didn't fit because its barely been 8 weeks since I was given the go ahead to work out again. So why was I so depressed? Because I was finding my worth in the wrong places. Am I working out and eating healthy to eventually be at my normal weight again? Of course. But why does that mean that I can't find my beauty and love myself in the meantime? My weight will never be an indication of my true beauty. Beauty is not a destination. Beauty is not something I receive once my jeans fit or my skin clears up. Beauty is everything I do, everything I am. Beauty is me because I am beautiful, and so are you.

What would happen if we woke up each morning and looked in the mirror and saw our incomparable beauty? Would we be more kind to each other and less competitive? Would we be more happy for each others success? More ready to lift up those who are struggling? More confident and ready to follow our dreams?

So without further ado, I'm challenging you to find what makes you beautiful every day. I've created an Instagram called Finding My Beauty. If you guys are willing to go out of your comfort zone, pay a little more attention each day to the things you do that add to your beauty and post them with the hashtag #findingmybeauty and tag @Finding_My_Beauty. My hope is that on those days we are feeling down, we can re-evaluate our worth and be able to see all the good that is adding so much to the world we live in. God made you beautiful. So be beautiful.


Because after all, who runs the world? Girls.

xoxox
Aurie

Cited Reference:

Kenrick, Douglas T. Sex, murder, and the meaning of life: A psychologist investigates how evolution, cognition, and complexity are revolutionizing our view of human nature. Basic Books, 2011.