That little girl grew up, and as she grew she turned into a young person that struggled with weight, body image, and self-esteem. It wasn't necessarily that anyone told that girl that she was ugly, or overweight, or not pretty enough. It was that she looked at TV, movie stars, and the girls at school who had the most friends, and she realized that she didn't match up to the expectations that society had put on her. Well at the time she just knew that she didn't measure up.
That girl eventually turned into an adult, who struggled with beauty. In my 20's I struggled to be seen as different, to be adored. I wanted someone to sweep me off my feet because then I thought I would finally be able to see the beauty that was within me.
As a 33 year old I have finally been able to grasp some deep concepts that I wish I could have shared with my 6 year old, 15 year old, and 23 year old self.
Beauty isn't about how skinny you are, what color of eyes you have, or where you come from. Beauty is about who you are....truly how your heart loves, and the confidence you have to be who you were made to be. Little girls everywhere are trying to measure up to the standards for beauty that society has set. But what if it isn't about those standards, what if the beauty inside of each of us were perfect because we thought it was. What if instead of growing up hearing how horrible women are who don't fit into the right mold are...everyone everywhere was told that they looked great...just how they are. What if?
Authentic beauty is beauty that is real, from the inside..from the depth of a person's soul. Beauty is ever-changing. There is no standard to beauty, it can be a tree blowing in the wind, a woman walking along the beach in her final moments of life, a young boy creating a mud pie as he plays with the family dog, a man digging through the trash..yes even that can hold beauty. What will you find beautiful today? How can you see authentic beauty in our world?
4 comments:
I find this entry beautiful. I think this is something that everyone can related to; everyone wants to be pretty no one wants to be ugly. But it's important to not let others define how we see ourselves.
Not unconnected since you asked what I find beautiful today: I have a pet rabbit that I believe is the most beautiful rabbit that ever lived. And I think this A-Z Challenge is beautiful because I' seeing blogs I never knew existed, from all over the world, and that kind international collective thinking is awesome.
That is awesome Ideal-ist! Thank you so much for your kind words and sharing with me!!!
What's that old adage...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The key is to look for the beauty in everything.
Mary visiting from The View from my World
Beauty is all around us. We just need to look for it in the laugh of a child or something as simple as birdsong. Happy A to Z!
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