I had been wanting to write a different blog to go along with my last one, but this kept coming to mind and heart after seeing a report of the news a few weeks ago. I can't ignore it anymore, and even though it makes me sick to think this is happening, its time to address it.
Have you seen the videos on youtube? Where teenage girls, and some younger, post a video asking people to comment on if they are pretty of ugly? When I heard the report I didn't want to believe it...but just like everything else that has gone viral, I guess it was only a matter of time that this happened. I'm not sure how long this has been going on, but it doesn't matter: Its happening and it should stir something in the hearts of everyone.
This is an age old question that I'm sure has been asked since the first bite of the forbidden fruit. As soon as sin entered the word, insecurities soon followed. Though Eve was the only one, I'm sure there were times she questioned if Adam found her attractive. Satan knows exactly how to get to women and often times it's through looks. We've questioned our looks for years, but it seems as if it is getting worse. God never intended for any of His creations to be questioned.
Throughout the years different shapes and sizes have been found attractive. We see this in history as it plays out over the years. It seems in the past couple of decades, what is found as "attractive" has become almost dangerous. There are those who think "barely there" is pretty because its what we see on the runways, and this is where eating disorders begin (all kinds, anorexia, bulimia and binging) or we think certain assets are pretty and we pay tons of money to obtain that look. (Side note: I am not putting anyone down who has had plastic surgery. Everyone has there reasons and I am not one to judge. But when it is done because we think we need to be prettier or to have someone be more attractive to us, it can cause problems that are hard to come back from.)
Whatever the reason, we live in a society where very few people believe they were born pretty. We base our looks on what others say (parents, friends, boyfriends, society) or on what the fashion magazines consider pretty or what is "in". I have been a victim of this as well. Self esteem issues are a constant battle for me; trying to remember that I was designed specifically and forget what the world says. Our self worth is not found in what others say or think, but in God alone. In everything He created in us and for us reflects what we should be for Him.
There have been many times I have had to cling to the verse found in Psalm 139. The version I am posting is from The Message. I love it:
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.(vs 13-16)
God designed us to be a unique and beautiful creature. I love reminding people that "God don't make ugly!" And its true. Man created this four-letter word and many more to follow. God is the Creator of the world and he made it beautiful, especially us. It says we were created in the image of Him. If this is the case, do you want to call God ugly? Nope I didn't think so. So don't call yourself that. End of story!
Earlier on, did you noticed how I said "beautiful" instead of "pretty"? There is a difference between these two and it isn't a matter of one being better that the other. I was once told back in high school that "pretty is what you look like, beautiful is what you are." I've known a lot of "pretty" girls, by society's standard, but they could never be classified as beautiful with the attitudes they displayed. I've also known a lot of "normal looking" girls, once again by society's standard, but were breathtakingly beautiful because who they really were, their inner core, shone brighter than their physical appearance.
So girls, don't go around asking if your pretty or ugly. You honestly might not like the answer because every one has different tastes, and most of that is based solely on a worldly vision. Remember, your beauty is found in your Creator..."and He don't make ugly!"
