BEAUTY IS WHAT I SEE WHEN
I SEE YOU!!
It is
common knowledge that girls are under a lot of pressure to look a certain way,
or dress a certain way to look and feel like they are beautiful. I have never
really fallen into this trap, but I have seen a lot of my friends and
acquaintances fall into this trap. Where they feel they are not slim enough,
are not tall enough, are not light enough, and are not good enough. No one can make you feel a certain way
without your permission.
The painful
part is the media makes this worse by portraying a certain type of image to be
the ultimate example of what beauty really is. And if you fall short of that,
well you have to work hard to become that image. The most amazing part is this
image changes with time. And you find people constantly changing themselves to
fit into what that image should look like.
When it
comes to beauty, I believe we have different unique shapes and flavors. But the
huge problem is, most ladies look at themselves from the outside- in instead of
looking from the inside-out. What do I mean by this? Let me explain it to you.
Your outward appearance is just one segment or one part of what makes you
beautiful. And if you focus only on that, while neglecting the inner beauty,
and your character and many other traits you should work on such as your
confidence, you will always find yourself trying to do more to keep the outward
beauty. The most disappointing part of
it is the outward beauty is the one that fades away the fastest with time and
age. And that is why you find women who
are so desperate to cheat nature because all they ever really invested in was
the outward beauty.
Now inward
beauty is also as important as the outward beauty but not so many people know
this. The truth is, if you have a bunch of insecurities on your inside, low
self-esteem, anger, jealousy, pride, malice, and unhealthy competition, no
amount of outward make up or work out will cover that up. It will find its way
out. If you are not satisfied with yourself on the inside, you won’t be
satisfied on the outside. You will always be in search of more. I have come
across so many ladies who are intimidated by the shade and color of another
woman’s beauty. And the reason for this is because they have not gone inside to
discover all the different shades of beauty God has deposited in them. They are
just focused on what beauty looks like on the outside. Insecurity is born out
of selfishness. It is a force that wishes it has more of what has been given to
someone else by God. You find people insecure about their legs, their hair, their
eyes, their size, their color and a lot more. But the truth is if they could
focus their energy on the things that are going well for them, like the fact
that they have two legs, their skin type is okay, their hair is available and
not falling out because of cancer or some other ailment they would realize how
beautiful they are. And how grateful
they should be for their portion instead of trying to be or look like someone
else.
Another
problem is people listen to other peoples voices. And lose their voice in the
process. Oh you are too fat, you are too slim, and why is your hair like this?
And before you know it you allow these voices drown you. You try to get
validation from the media, from a boyfriend, from your family. And when you
don't hear them tell you what you want to hear, you feel you have to do more,
get slimmer, apply a little more makeup and all of that. But the safest place
to get validation is from God. He says you are fearfully and wonderfully
made. He crafted you out perfectly and did
not make a mistake. Every time you complain it is like telling God he made a
mistake when he created you. There is nothing wrong with trying to look good.
If you feel you gained a lot of weight, lose the weight but love yourself in
all your forms. Today you are young and beautiful, tomorrow you will be old and
gray. Will you throw your old self away? I spend time in front of my mirror to always
remind myself that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My voice is perfect, my
height is perfect, my personality is unique, and my color is perfect. And the
days when I don't feel like it, I am reminded that God loves me the way I
am. So yes beauty is what I see when I
see me, and it is what I see when I see you. Compliment yourself and focus on
the positive parts of your life. Work on your weaknesses and let your beauty be
to the glory of God. Both on the inside and on the outside. Your outward beauty is just the cover to the
amazing things God has deposited on your inside. Reach down deep inside of you
and unleash your inner beauty.
BY PRIZE ABIMBOLA AROWOLO.
