Which Came First — The Chicken, or the Beauty?
I envy women who don’t need to wear makeup.
I know… no woman needs to wear makeup.
If that was your immediate response, then you’re either: a) One of those women who doesn’t need to wear makeup, b) A feminist male.
The women I’m talking about are sometimes those with smooth, luminescent skin. Big doe eyes that don’t need added enhancement. Bone structure. Defined eyebrows. Long lashes.
The list goes on.
There isn’t any one particular physical feature that defines a pre-airbrushed woman — she just is.
Sometimes it might be something inside: A predisposed confidence and ease with her appearance resulting from true physical beauty, lack of judgmental figures in her life, or never comparing herself to models in magazines.
Her outward beauty could be a direct reflection of that found within.
What’s more, she has emotionally accepted the fact that she’s going to age, and she does it with grace and style.
For her, laugh lines are transformed into endearing accessories. Like earrings.
Unruly streaks of gray hair morph into a sophisticated highlight she never has to pay for.
Sporadic battle scars, moles, and birthmarks become trademarked, unique elements of mystique.
It’s hard to decipher which came first: Is her apparent beauty an inner peace derived from knowing she’s physically beautiful, or is it, even more poetically, a physical symptom of her beautiful soul?
If it’s the latter, maybe we all have a shot.
Whatever it is, I envy them.
And, ironically, that envy separates me even further as the woman I am from the woman I strive to become.
So.
I think, from now on, I might start being a little nicer to myself. Less critical. Not for the sake of vanity, but in the name of compassion. Because I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that’s where it all starts.
What do you think?
Comments
All of us woman need to be a little kinder to ourselves. We’re better than we think we are.
Very true. And I didn’t really touch on it in the post, but I’m thinking men could benefit from the same advice. While they’re less likely to show it, I’ve known some very insecure men.
Who is the chick in the picture other than an emaciated blond? Yeah yeah, be good to yourself, you can die at any time.
I chose that particular image because, at least in my head, she seems to be the epitome of an insecure woman — slouching, underweight, faceless.
And your last sentence sums this up nicely. :)
I used to be one of those women who could happily run around town without any makeup on, but then I hit perimenopause and gained 30 lbs and started to get pimples. Stupid Hormones. I wish I was still that confident carefree girl, but I rarely leave the house without at least a little bit of makeup on, now.
See, I’ve never — well, very rarely — left the house without makeup. There were occasions in Costa Rica or on our honeymoon in St.Lucia or other places where I knew I wasn’t going to hear about it from anyone, but other than that, I’ve always been way too self-conscious.
That said, I think you’re a beautiful woman – total MILF. ;) Aging is something that happens to all of us, and we can either accept it or not… but, having been prone to pimples myself, I understand wanting to wear makeup.
Can not let the hubs see that you just called me a MILF. He’ll start getting ideas. ;)
Haha, and we all know that husbands with ideas are bad news!
Well said, Katie! I was so proud of myself for NOT taking the time to put mascara on when I met up with Date #7 on Sunday. Make up is such a vicious cycle sometimes…
You are either one brave girl, or you simply have awesome eyelashes. :) I hope things are going better with Date #7!
This was a fabulous post. I think it is important to spend as much time making our hearts as beautiful as our bodies.
Well-said. In fact, I could probably just delete the whole thing and post that! :)