You're Beautiful

Thanks to DVR, I've been on a "What Not to Wear" marathon for a few months now. It's a show on TLC where friends and family nominate loved ones with no fashion sense for a style makeover. Stacey and Clinton, the hosts, fly the nominee out to NYC, giver her (or him, though usually her) $5,000 and lessons on how to shop for clothes, then finally an expert hair and make-up treatment.

What I love about the show, besides the fashion tips, is to see the transformation. The nominees always look better by the end, but quite often their attitude changes, too. They act more confidently, smile more, and even seem happier. The new wardrobe and makeover help, yes, but after watching a few times I noticed something.

Stacey and Clinton gush. They always find at least one attribute about a person's body and face and go on and on about it. "Look at those long legs!" "You have such a tiny waist!" "Your curves are gorgeous!" We're talking about average people here, not cover models. They have flawed skin, imperfect body shapes, tummy rolls, and cellulite. The idea is not to change people's bodies, but to help them embrace and celebrate the natural beauty that is already theirs.

So, why don't we gush over people at church more often? Not just about inner beauty and virtues and all that, but about outward beauty, too? Usually the message I hear at church is that it's what's inside that counts, that we shouldn't even look at someone's outside. Of course the inside is important, and an outer sheen can't cover up a lack of virtue. But the outside is important, too. It is, after all, part of God's creation which He declared, "good."

When the church denies or ignores the importance of outer beauty, we lose our credibility as well as our power to influence society. Girls go to church and hear that outer beauty isn't important, which they know isn't true, so they take their cues on how to enhance their beauty and sexuality from the latest scantily clad pop star. What if we told them, no, gushed over how gorgeous they are, then taught them that the best way to enhance and respect that beauty is in subtle, understated fashion.

The first time I read Song of Solomon I was a young teenage girl who knew she was ugly and undesirable. Then I read, "Ah, you are beautiful, my love; ah, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves. Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly lovely." (1:15-16) Because I hadn't learned proper exegesis and so didn't know any better, I thought the words were directly from God to me. It changed my life.

So if you're reading this, take time to gush over someone today about how incredibly beautiful they are, inside and out.