Have you ever browsed the magazines at grocery check out stands, only to wish you hadn't? If you're like many women, you've probably compared yourself to the airbrushed models on those glossy covers. Now, I know we should care about our appearance and health. But the problem lies in thinking we have to look like that in order to be successful and desireable. We buy into the message, without acknowledging that what we're looking at is mostly smoke and mirrors.
Recently, I saw a magazine featuring advice on ways to create a few physical illusions of our own. It listed the most sought after body enhancements for women today. And some of the treatments were even rated appropriate for young girls.
In the book "So Long Insecurity" Beth Moore points out that...in all of history we're the first generation to grow up in a media-driven society. We're drowning in unchartered ers and it's time we learn to swim." She goes on to consider that although we have many conveniences that our mothers and grandmothers didn't have, media exploitation is something we would be better off without. I agree. We need to learn to survive the choppy waters of today's media messages, if we're going to make it to shore with our self-esteem intact. We have to wake up to the relentless effect media has on us.
Another magazine placed right next to the one on body enhancment, touted a cover article about a work-out for female celebrities. It's supposedly so simple it can be done with only a floor mat. But as I skimmed the pages, I learned the stars promoting it work out in a private gym 6 days a week and have the support of personal trainers. And as we might expect, the stars featured were in their mid to late twenties. And of course, they have full access to spa treatments and surgeries that turn back the hand of time.
We should remember that men don't have it easy, either. I recently overheard a conversation by young man in a grocery store that emphasizes this point. He was accompanied by two girls around the age of four or five who were complaining about something. His response to the problem was emphatic. "Don't complain about being girls. You should enjoy it because girls can have anything they want. Besides, you don't want to be a man. Being a man is really hard!" Although it's not true that we can have anything, we may not always take into account that men experience insecurity and doubt too.
But even so, "Our culture does not hold men to the same standard of youthfulness as women." Beth Moore Maybe that's partly why we continue buy into images we know are mosty unnatainable. It's hard to peel away the layers of self-judgment that we aquire over years of comparing and being compared to others. Focusing on manufactured media images only causes us to dwell on what we don't like about ourselves. God gave us each a real body and we know He doesn't create junk! If our perception of ourselves doesn't line up with what God says about us, then it's not true no matter how real the mirage may seem. And if we don't like ourselves, how will the daughters of tomorrow learn to like themselves?
You might remember the book, "Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever" Well, maybe a woman doesn't have to remain dumb their whole life, but we get the point. It's downright dumb to hide our intelligence to placate relationships. And it's just as dumb to continue trying to look sixteen when we're not. Even the most beautiful models grow old. Bottom line...genuine beauty really is an inside job!
"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing. But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31 verse 30 NKJV
Maybe it's time to back up our words with actions and view ourselves as God sees us. We can stop talking about what we don't like about ourselves and focus more on the things we do like. Again, I'm not saying that appearance doesn't matter. Taking care of the outside can model the grace we carry on the inside. But our outside should always reflect our inside, not the other way around. Tall order you say? Maybe. But if we can't walk in our own dignity and self-respect, the young girls who follow us probably won't recognize theirs either.
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
1 Peter 3:verses 3-4 NIV
Have you ever browsed the magazines at grocery check out stands, only to wish you hadn't? If you're like many women, you've probably compared yourself to the airbrushed models on those glossy covers. Now, I know we should care about our appearance and health. But the problem lies in thinking we have to look like that in order to be successful and desireable. We buy into the message, without acknowledging that what we're looking at is mostly smoke and mirrors. 
