How many of you care about the way you look? I know I do. Who out there has put on an outfit, looked in the mirror, shook his or her head in disappointment, and put on a new outfit only to repeat the process until an hour has passed? What about bleaching teeth to make them whiter, those $300 pair of shoes bought to keep up with the latest fashion or, my favorite, sleepless nights complete with an aching neck from when I have a ton of rollers in?
Most of us work so hard to make sure we attain a certain level of physical beauty, but what about inner beauty? We wake up with a pimple and immediately run to get Proactiv.
What about when we look at someone and pass judgment before even getting to know him or her? Or betray someone that is close to us? Why don’t we rush to correct our ugly insides the same way we do for our imperfect outsides?
The answer is because our perception of beauty is distorted. Television, magazines and advertisements portray the physical aspect of beauty. Yet, most often, the true definition of beauty goes unrecognized. Although we hear familiar phrases such as “looks aren’t everything,” inner beauty is not the cliché concept we’re used to.
A person’s character, attitude and personality are far more valuable than his or her facial symmetry, body shape and skin tone.
Brand name jeans don’t make you beautiful; in fact, no material possessions have the power to determine your beauty. Real beauty comes from deciding to love yourself and others and from showing respect and compassion.
But we’re too caught up in ourselves to notice that. We exercise and try to eat healthy in order to stay fit, and we pay thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgeries to get a certain look.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeon’s latest study, 12.5 million cosmetic surgeries were conducted last year. Our very own Mountain/Pacific region continues to be the leader with 3.6 million.
Should we blame it all on Hollywood? Celebrity “pre-Oscar” cosmetic surgeries increase 3 to 4 weeks every year before the Academy Awards.
Even with the recession, the business saw 20 to 25 percent increases in their requests from the stars. It’s just them, right? Hardly. Of all the people who received cosmetic surgeries, 40 percent of them fell in the $30,000 to $60,000 income range. Obviously, it’s not only the A-listers.
Unfortunately, a beautiful face doesn’t guarantee a spouse will be faithful, and rock-solid abs won’t ensure a date.
Looks are important because everyone should take pride in him or herself, but looks aren’t the key factor in defining whom that person is.
I challenge everyone to take more time to focus on beautifying what lies within, because a pretty inside inevitably results in a much prettier outside.
I guarantee it.
Show your beautiful insides to smmarks3@yahoo.com
