It’s everywhere. It plagues every mind. You can see it on billboards, hear it on TV, smell it in the cosmetics center at the store. It all bounces back to humans the way it came out of them. From the snickers and gossip, to the disgusted expression reflected in a mirror. There’s the good, the beautiful, and the ugly. Well, there is a difference between them, isn’t there? From what is put out by the world, it sure appears so.
We all grow up with the idea of what the ideal person should look like. People take it from their favorite Hollywood star, advertisements or model. Immediately when we see a person with a big head or funny hair, there are some first presumptions and judgments. How do we know what is beautiful and what is not? Human being depends on what it’s used to. It believes what it has seen. All culture has it’s own beauty standards. For example, a Country in Africa called Mauritania thinks the bigger a women is, the better the chance she’ll be a bride. They fatten themselves up every day just to look gorgeous. Or, women in Thailand wear neck extensions in order to have a flawless long necks. What if every human being on this earth were actually born in another country with different beauty standards? People probably wouldn’t be trying to look how they try to look now. In that case, what is beauty? How is it defined?
In my opinion, I find humankind looks through the wrong lenses. The lenses of culture. When looking through the blurry eyes of culture you see inequality in appearance. All of us at one time in our life has ranked one person over another in looks. Humans also take pride in how they look, causing them to look down on others. I believe it all comes down to this question: Why do we naturally look the way we do? We can’t help the features we are born with. I find that it all comes down to the ultimate Creator. I am convicted that God created us with love and care, all of us differently, all of us unique. His opinion to me is all that matters. Not of others who intend to pull me down. No magazine, no manmade thing matters. Cause they just don’t know. In the clear precious view of God I am beautiful. Every man is beautiful. People are not meant to be discontent with who they are. He did not make us a certain way to be cruel. While man may try to pull me one way through all its media and everything else, the perfect God made me in his perfect image. Although I find this all true, when the body grows old and fades away, there is something that stays.
I think our looks can help us tell us from others, differentiate people. Apparently, though, I know that after a while when I get to know someone, I don’t label their character from their appearance. The information files in my brain tell me about what I’ve seen of their character, their personality and, just basically, their heart. How can we make fun of people because of how “ugly” they look when our hearts at the moment ultimately defy God? It saddens me how we just take first impressions on outward appearance. True beauty is who someone is in the mind, heart, and their actions. Everything that’s wrong with the world is because of human nature. Part of the world’s trouble isn’t because of the way one looks, but it’s true that issues are caused because of the way people react to how others look
What is out in media concerning beauty sickens me. It causes pain. It causes me pain just watching it. We as human beings can take anything and just create it into something it shouldn’t be. Now that I see the truth there is no reason for me to be afraid of what others might think about me. To me, outward beauty is not defined by man but by the powerful Creator. For those whom are atheist may not believe this, but I believe He has shown me that He is the only way to make things right again. To Him, I am beautiful. To Him, you are beautiful. He made us in His loving image. We just corrupted and violated our own image by looking through the lenses of culture. All those models, ads and anything else that wants to taunt you and convince you to look different are just saying that if you look like that, everything will be alright. Those people are happy, right? Or not? To God, what matters most, despite that we may be beautiful to Him outwardly, is who we are inwardly. The heart shows whether there is true beauty or not. So now when I look through God’s eyes, my glance shoots straight pass the cover, to who I am in every moment…in each skip of my heart.