A few minutes ago, I was taking a shower. I was looking at myself and absolutely ridiculing how I looked. My skin was too pale, my hair was too thin, my neck was too gawky... the list goes on. Why couldn’t things have just gone right? That was when I realized something about the concept of “right”. It’s completely dependent on where you are and what time it is. For me, it is the year 2020 in America, and the “beautiful” right now is tan and curvy with a sharp jawline and thick eyebrows. But just ten years ago, the ideal beauty was a size 00 with almost no curves and thin eyebrows… so what is it? What is the truly timeless beauty that is always in style and always appeals to most people? The fact is, there isn’t because physical beauty is a trend. If you think about it, every feature of every type of person was considered beautiful at least one point in time. You might even be considered beautiful right now, just in another culture. I mean honestly my extremely long neck is to die for in some African and Asian cultures. So isn’t everyone beautiful? How is something ugly if it was once considered ideal? So listen up. There is no “right” because the “right” is always changing. You were made to be you exactly how you came out. You were made to have your mom’s frizzy hair or your dad’s prominent nose or maybe you inherited a genetic “flaw.” Truth is, you were made that way on purpose. It has made you who you are and who you are going to become.
The way I view it is that you are made of love. You were created by love and are a physical product of love. All that wonderful, delicious food that you ate that you enjoyed so much? It’s you. That savory stuff that you love? It gives you fuel to do all the things you love. Your legs are what have taken you to the most beautiful destinations. Your arms have given and received so many hugs. Your eyes have seen everything- the good and the bad. And here you still are. Still alive and still going. Be proud of that and be proud of how much your body has gone through and experienced. Don’t waste your time comparing yourself to the “ideal” beauties of today because pretty soon, their time will be over and they will be wishing they looked just like you.
But also, remember when I said, "What is the truly timeless beauty that is always in style and always appeals to most people?" There actually is an answer, but it comes from within. It's being compassionate. I know how cliche and cheesy it sounds, but a beautiful heart is not a trend. It is something that everyone will always admire and want more of from this world. A beautiful heart was and always will be the most beautiful quality about someone.
William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) "Meditation" (1901)
Comments