I’ve often heard it said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I don’t think I truly understood what this meant until recently. I was watching Jessica Simpson’s show The Price of Beauty and watching a woman in Thailand tell her story about how a skin bleaching product had burnt her skin and permanently deformed her. She lost her husband because of this and is now too embarrassed to be seen in public.
It made me think about my own journey of discovering my own beauty. There was a time when I was in high school and even in university where I wouldn’t have walked out the door without wearing foundation or powder for fear of having my blemishes out there for the world to see… I also struggled with weight issues, often being told I was a pretty girl, “if only I would lose a few pounds”. This used to anger me, as I felt that I shouldn’t be judged on my size but on the person I was. Unfortunately the more I heard it, the more I bought into the idea that I did need to shed a few pounds if I didn’t want to be made fun of, if I wanted to have a boyfriend, if I wanted to be “beautiful”.
I know we’ve all met people that we would consider to be “good looking”, however their personality makes their outside appearance meaningless. We’ve also met people that, would probably never grace the cover of a magazine, but whose personality and attitude makes them the most beautiful people we have ever met. Who decides what is beautiful? Who determines the standard to which we judge ourselves or others? I find it ironic that while so many of us strive to be considered individuals, yet we spend so much time trying to look like everyone else, often criticizing those who have the courage to be “different”.
I am now in a place where I am comfortable with who I am and the skin I’m in. I’m not going to let my outward appearance define who I am. This doesn’t mean that I am not going to take care of myself, eating healthy foods and exercising – but I will not let it be something that controls my life. I am going to focus my time on finding balance in my life, and appreciating the beauty that surrounds me every day!♥
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