You're Beautiful

Someone in another blog I read lamented the fact that in her Australian city, there is a big billboard at a busy traffic junction, reading "Making this city beautiful..." and it was an ad for a plastic surgeon!  She was [rightly imho] quite angry at the implication that people [mostly women] are being conned into believing that to be beautiful, you need to let someone cut you about with a knife and alter your features. 

I know that a lot of people have really struggled during lockdown, to maintain their 'image' . I was talking to someone who said they spend ages on their eye make-up, "because it is the only part of me that shows above my mask". Another said recently how thrilled she was to finally get her hair cut "and feel presentable again". Magazines are full of articles about 'losing the lockdown weight gain' - and eating disorders are, sadly, on the rise. 

Now I am not going to deny that feeling your hair looks good, and  your clothes fit well, and generally your appearance is OK is important. It can boost your confidence in a difficult situation, or cheer someone else up to think you 'made an effort' to look good for your meeting with them. But it is sad when people go to extremes. There was a really sad piece about lockdown-lip-procedures which have gone wrong on the BBC website last week. And we were watching a guest on a recent popular TV show and asking each other 'What's happened to her face?' [and hundreds of others went to Twitter to ask the same]

"We spend our days in old sweatshirts and shapeless trackie bottoms, and it doesn't really matter any more" is a common attitude. But you are beautiful - whoever you are - and you are loved. So hold your head high, and ignore those who seek to make their fortunes by selling you a lie. Audrey Hepburn - undeniably a woman of grace and beauty said these words

And the apostle Peter said

I'd rather take the words of Audrey and Peter than a profit-motivated plastic surgeon, wouldn't you? [btw you may find this short piece from BAAPS interesting - unlike the USA and Oz, we don't have those huge billboards!]