The World's Ideas of a Woman's Image

A girl looks in the mirror. She is innocent and lovely, the bloom of childhood is still ablaze on her face. Yet in her lap there lies a magazine. Perhaps it is a movie star's face that stares up at her or maybe it is a model for Vogue. The woman's hair is immaculate; her make up is flawless. She is beautiful, practically perfect in every way. The magazine clearly is promoting her image in some manner; it's the ideal for all women, both young and old. The little girl looks back up at her reflection in the mirror. Sighing, she puts her face in her hands. Will she ever look like this? This is what "woman" looks like--or so she begins to think. There isn't anyone who others seem to revere or make popular....that looks like her. How will anyone think she is special and beautiful and worth having when she doesn't look like a magazine centerfold? Is being innocent really all it is cracked up to be?



Norman Rockwell painted "Girl at the Mirror" in 1954, yet minus the dated attire and painting style, it would appear as if it were painted in 2012. The same message the painting conveys holds as true today as it did yesterday. Girls are constantly assaulted, so much more than they were in 1954, with images and expectations from society. In order to be perceived as beautiful nowadays, girls are expected to conform to the world's ideas of beauty--that can encompass anything from heavy handed makeup to showing cleavage and using provocative moves. It is these things that get actresses and singers on the cover of popular magazines and tabloids, score the TV shows, and maybe even win an Academy Award. (After all, it is common thought nowadays that if a woman gets nude in a movie, she is a shoo in for Best Actress--case in point, Kate Winslet in 'Revolutionary Road.")

I recently bemoaned about the lack of female role models in the media. There are more guys who even if they don't promote Christianity, they leave a better example and have more positive press than the majority of women. Women have been relegated to a position where image and looks dictates how they get ahead and whether or not people like them. Beyonce is a prime example of this. I cannot speak to if she is a nice person or a philanthropist, but I can say that her songs, concerts, and dance moves all focus on embracing your "inner sexuality" and "turning people on" and "if you've got it, flaunt it." With catchy beats, her songs have gotten girls excited everywhere--Beyonce looks appealing--and they want to be like her. All of a sudden, girls want to dance like Beyonce (which now, the Wii and XBOX Kinect dance games help in teaching you), look like Beyonce, sing like Beyonce.....it's called cute when a four year old can sing "Single Ladies", complete with the moves, and then sexy when they get older. Those who don't fit this mold, well, then there is a problem.  Especially since Beyonce is one of the most photographed (like above in a common getup) and "most beautiful" women in the world.*Cue the sarcasm* Forget the fact that stylists, make-up artists, and airbrushing do ninety percent of the work (you know this is true when National Enquirer prints pictures of actresses without make-up. You can tell there is a great chasm of different between what is actual and what is presented.) Girls are still swayed to believe that the magazine is the true package.

I'm a lot like the girl in the mirror. I can look at a magazine all I want, but I will never, ever, EVER look the actresses in them. My chest size is small; I must wear heels every day of my life to ever get close to average height. (I'm five foot one in my bare feet) I can't afford designer stores and I'm more about looking natural with makeup rather than gaudy. I can't sing a note; I'll never star in a movie with Matt Damon, George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, or Zac Efron. I have bad hair days and I *gasp* wear glasses and contacts. I don't have an hourglass figure; I have to wear a few select fabrics or else I will look like a potato sack. You get the idea. I'm not a Beyonce.....and you know what, that is okay. I've come to terms with the fact that a glamorous icon and I are two entirely different entities. However, there are days in which I feel like putting my head in my hands and allowing the luxury of a good cry. Why?

It's hard to remain strong in the fight for modesty, purity, and timeless beauty when the media and all those involved say otherwise. No matter how strong we might think we are at withstanding peer pressure, it gets harder and harder to do when everyone around you is giving in. For Christian women, it can be even harder-- because with Christians, there comes a double standard. (Show a little bit of skin, say, your arms, and all of a sudden, you're slipping) Even Christian young women want someone to think they are beautiful; I'm yet to meet one that does not.

Proverbs 31 reminds me of what is true. "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting. But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." That doesn't mean we shouldn't seek to look fashionable or pretty--I believe the opposite as a matter of fact--but it also serves as a reminder of where we should put the bulk of our effort. While some people might be obsessed with botox and liposuction, we should be obsessed with what Christ says is beautiful. Things like gentleness, compassion, empathy, grace. When we focus on these things, our inside beauty radiates towards the outside. Add a gorgeous outfit that screams of your personality and you have one winning combination.

We might never grace the cover of People or Vanity Fair. We will stay have days like the girl at the mirror. We will still get irritated when women like Beyonce or Kim Kardashian proudly strut their boobage for all to see. But it's all a product of living in the fallen world. The Lord created us with the assets (and our perceived downsides--which aren't downsides to him) and he wants us to embrace THEM--not what the world tells us to embrace. After all, who really wants to, deep down, be remembered for a raunchy song during the Video Music Awards or a Victoria's Secret "Angels" show? Rather, we should embrace being different.

There might be several "Beyonce's", but there is only one YOU! If all Christian young women were to start embracing this truth, even though it's hard, who knows what fashion and ideals could come in style!!