"to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor."
Isaiah 61:3 NIV

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Beginning......

Where to even begin on something that has been on my heart for some time! First adventure was finding an available blogspot address. Once that overwhelming task was accomplished it was now time to move on to the real stuff. The subjects of self-esteem, body-image, diets, eating disorders, overall comparisions to other people, and the world's standards of beauty. These alone leave me feeling overwhelmed and confused! Where are we to find our value and purpose if we look to the images and messages that are constantly portrayed in our world today? They are constantly changing, and actually decieving us through the optical illusions of lighting, air brushing, and dare I say, photoshop. The "ideal" women especially, has changed much throughout the years. Remember back to the women pictured on old coins,or the Mona Lisa, where plumpness was considered beautiful, while slender build meant you were poor and unable to feed yourself.


Then the next notable era was Marilyn Monroe. She symbolized "true beauty", and though much slimmer than the women before her, she now would be considered overweight, and a plus size model.


Fast forward to Twiggy, and we have yet to leave this era. The skinner = the more beautiful. At least this is what the media wants you to believe.


If we actually polled people it would be interesting to see what the results would be. All in all, I am exhausted just thinking of keeping up and looking to the world for my identity. Yet if we were honest, how many of us do that each day without even realizing it? Check out these links and if you have never seen these videos before I pray that they get your mind thinking about how you view yourself and why?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U


" For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;I know that full well." Psalm 139:13,14