I have become a bit of a MasterChef addict over the past few weeks. The show sets cooking challenges for a group of aspiring chefs each week and last week in one of the episodes they got together a group of 'Bond' girls, for the contestants to cook for. All women who at one point in their career had starred next to James Bond.
They showed pictures of the women in the films and all of them were roughly in their 20's or early 30's. Then in walked this group of people who were maybe 30 or 40 years older than they were when they starred in the film. And it showed quite clearly that 'beauty' as defined by TV, movies, magazines fades.The type of beauty that is aspired to by many and so emphasized in the media is very short lived. So maybe there should be a different sort of beauty we aspire to.
What does God have to say about beauty?
Do not let your adorning be external...but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.(1 Peter 3:3-4)
The wisdom in the Bible suggests that we aspire to cultivate an inner beauty, something that does last. This wisdom is not just from the Bible but many others have joined with this way of thinking:
“The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express.” ― P.C. Cast
“No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt
How to change the way you think?
In a country where outer beauty is so emphasized, it is going to be difficult to change how we think but here are some ideas. Which could you do?
One lady has decided not to use mirrors for a year - A radical step to try and change her perception of beauty! (Link). Or maybe...one day a week as a no mirror day?
Maybe change our view of beauty is to forget about ourselves for a while. Take time to go and serve someone else and cultivate something of that inner beauty that Jesus and the bible speaks about.
Recognise if everyone feels bad about the way they look, it must be the standard that needs changing.
Remind yourself each time you see an advertising board with the perfect looking person on, that they are not real, almost all pictures are digitally enhanced and remember that the people who use these pictures are trying to make us feel bad about ourselves so we buy their products. There have been campaigns to get advertisers to label photos that have been digitally enhanced to make people more aware (Link).
Or suggest other ways in the comments area below.....
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