Beauty from the Inside Out

What is Beauty? If you were to take a general poll, you would get varied responses and definitions. This is because beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, as the saying goes. While reaching a consensus on beauty may be challenging, some things help guide this definition. The goal of this article is not necessarily to give a one-word description of beauty but rather to bring attention to some things to think about as it relates to the ideologies about what it means to be beautiful.

I suggest that beauty comes from the inside out. It starts on the inside and then reflects on the outside, and thus is holistic, having a spiritual, mental, and physical component.
Regarding the spiritual component, the word of God tells us that favor is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised (Proverbs 31: 30). This suggests that beauty must first be grounded on a character that reflects a fear of the Lord. Unfortunately, young girls and women are often more likely to be praised for their looks than for their virtues or actions.
Beauty also stems from having a positive reflection on one’s belief about themself, which is a mental component of beauty. Today, however, a vast media focus is on using computer technology to show images of beautiful women as young and thin. These unrealistic images of women have led to negative mindsets and mental issues among women. The negative attitude contributes to anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, all relating to poor body image issues (Office on Women’s Health, n.d.). Moreover, social media has also come to play a massive role as a significant source of information, affecting many individuals’ ideologies regarding appearance, purchasing habits, wellbeing, body, and self-image (Strubel, Petrie & Pookulangara, 2018). This also has potentially compounded the problem.
In my personal and clinical experience, I have also found that many women struggle with low self-confidence, rooted in questions such as – “Am I good enough,” “Will they like me,” “Am I pretty enough,” or “Will I be accepted,” and on and on.
The more profound question is rooted in what one believes about one’s self. Frequently, we are plagued with insecurities, fears, low self-esteem, and self-doubt related to poor beliefs about ourselves. We must choose to believe the truth about who God says we are. He states that we are each fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Our mental health, rooted in our belief system, will reflect a more beautiful person from the inside out.
Finally, focusing on the physical part of our appearance is also essential. Our outward beauty is best reflected when we also take care of ourselves physically and do the things that make us feel more beautiful on the outside. This includes pampering ourselves with makeup, hair, nails, shoes, purses, and cute outfits. We also don’t want to forget about our physical health by being sure to implement things such as exercise, sleep/rest, and proper diet, which all helps our overall physical body to thrive.
Here are three things that will help us pursue beauty from the inside out.
Spiritual component –
Develop and pursue a relationship with God.
Mental component –
Accept and love yourself without comparison to others, even with your imperfections. However, submit your flaws to God, who can use them for good.
Physical Component –
Continue to invest in taking care of your physical body, including your health and all the cosmetic things relating to self-care.
Remember that true beauty is holistic and that it starts from within. It begins with having peace with God and your fellow man, which automatically causes a more beautiful reflection of your character. This is only magnified by outward beauty.
Today, Let’s pursue “Holistic Beauty” to impact the world more beautifully as our beauty radiates from the inside out!
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#total wellbeing

#myjam – Check out one of my all-time favorite songs by CeCe Winans – “Jesus You’re Beautiful.”

References
Strubel, J., Petrie, T. A., & Pookulangara, S. (2018). “Like” me: Shopping, self-display, body image, and social networking sites. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 7(3), 328–344. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000133
Body image | Office on Women’s Health. (n.d.). https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/body-image-and-mental-health/body-image