I'm not sure how this post is going to turn out. I've been trying to compose it in my mind for a couple of days now and then I saw something this morning that made it even more tricky. Hm...
On Sunday, our Bishop (the leader of our local LDS congregation) taught the lesson in Relief Society (the LDS organization for women). His topic was "True Beauty". It made me think.
We live in a world that is obsessed with beauty. Women want to be beautiful. Men want beautiful women.
A friend of mine (who recently retired and was a big-wig with Tupperware) who inquired how my Tupperware business was going said something very interesting. He noted that people who are reluctant to buy "responsible" products like Tupperware are very happy to spend money (and a lot of it) on BeautiControl products (which is the beauty/spa product arm of Tupperware). An interesting phenomenon.
This morning I saw this on Mormon Messages:
I have been reading Stephanie's blog for a while now. I appreciate for her frank evaluation of her life, her challenges, her joys, her optimism. Where there exist this question of: what is true beauty, I submit that Stephanie is a beautiful woman. Why? Because she is beautiful beyond the physical. She is beautiful where her beauty can't be changed or diminished. That is the kind of beauty I am seeking.
This post isn't really turning out like I thought it would. I am finding it difficult to express in words what I have been learning in my heart. I hope this makes sense to somebody out there and I hope that all women can find that real, lasting, meaningful beauty has very little to do with how we look and more to do with who we are.
8 comments:
Ive been thinking about this too, especially since I had this baby. I feel beautiful, but then I look in the mirror, and my reflection doesn't look like the world's ideal. I keep thinking, i need to hurry up and lose some weight (but I don't, am not a good dieter). I think it is almost impossible to avoid the world's pressure completely, but it helps to be reminded to put it all in perspective.
When I saw that video, one of my favorite lines is, "I am not my body." Isn't that true for all of us? Spending inordinate amounts of time on our bodies distracts us from our true purpose of mothering and focusing on our families. I mean, how many times have we heard things like, "I can't wait to get my body back!" or people don't have kids because they don't want to mess up their bodies. We are put on this earth to age--to gain wisdom and experience with those years and wrinkles. And, most importantly, we are not our bodies.
I am reminded of 2 things--first a conference talk a few years ago from Susan W. Tanner about our bodies. And second, an essay called "Take, Eat" by Tessa Santiago. HEre's the link:
http://mldb.byu.edu/Santiago-TakeEat.htm
Both are wonderful reads on this subject--and both remind me that, while we do need to care for our bodies, our inner beauty is much more important than what people can see.
Thanks for sharing this Leslie. It's great to be reminded of how truly blessed we are to be mothers and most importantly beautiful daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. Stephanie's story is so incredibly inspiring and I also loved the line, "I am not my body."
I saw this clip this morning. So inspiring.
I love that she says "beauty is motherhood". I hope I can feel more confident in that more meaningful kind of beauty than in the physical kind.
Beautiful post coming from a truly beautiful person (inside and out).
Loved this video. It was a great reminder of what truly matters...
I saw this video the other day and have had the same thoughts as you have. I really hope I can find that inner and real beauty as well. Thanks for sharing YOUR inspiring thoughts and beauty of who you are!
This makes me think of Mrs. Hewlett's first lesson about the Velveteen Rabbit and keeping it real. I think it is a gift the see the real inner beauty of others and an even greater gift to be able to see your own.
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