"You Are So Beautiful"

The definition of beautiful according to the dictionary is: attractive, pretty, handsome, and good-looking.  I would say these words are rather vague as to defining beautiful.  The first four pictures above are from magazines that are of some famous women who are considered beautiful (all in their 50's - 70's).  Yes, more than likely air brushed and plastic surgery for some, however, if you compared seeing them live at an event or interview on TV, they look pretty much the same.

The next set of pictures are of women that have chosen to have a make over, in order to stress that if a woman wants to look a certain way, she can through the use of make up.  Calvin Klein hit the mark when he said, "The best thing is to look natural, but it takes make up to look natural."  I would like to add that it takes skill to apply make up that looks natural.  Not all women want to go through those motions, nor should they.  We do have the power to be our own kind of beautiful and this can change from day to day, even hour to hour.

We all, as women, need to decide what it is that we want or need to be happy within ourselves.  Just knowing that our DNA has a lot to do with our appearance and that we should work harder to not put ourselves down based on this fact.  Imperfections are beautiful. Every famous person who is considered beautiful will be the first one to tell you a part of their looks that they do not find beautiful. It is okay.  We all need to be our own kind of beautiful or else we will look like perfect little molds coming out of some beauty machine. When is the last time that you flipped through a beauty magazine or watched a runway of models showing off the latest designer fashions?  Cookie cutter beauty is what you will see.  Instead of being like a stone that is found everywhere, achieve to become the precious and rare diamond that is viewed as having your own kind of individual beauty.

This is where we all need to remember that beauty is how you feel on the inside so that it all reflects in our eyes, our souls and our hearts. A very important mantra that I, as well as many other woman need to repeat frequently is to remember that being beautiful doesn't make you happy.  Being happy makes you beautiful.   

This picture of Katie Couric really demonstrates what I have been blogging about.  She is happy from within herself.  Her beauty shines in both pictures.  One without make up and the other one with some make up.  We all need to remember that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and to stop being so rigid about what makes a person beautiful.

Let's put an end to the advertising agencies dictating to us about using an anti-aging cream and showing in a picture how our skin will look if we use it.  (Oops...they forgot to mention the model in the picture was in her 20's.) Or that the beautiful eye lashes can be ours if we use a certain kind of mascara.  Now, I don't know about you, but there is not a human on this planet who has lashes like what is shown in magazines unless they have lash enhancers on with the mascara.  These companies are finally being called out on some of these misconceptions.  Another favorite ad is for those using Spanx, a body shaper product, only the person showing what Spanx can do for us is already a size 6.  What would she need a body shaper for?  It is to make the consumer believe that her size 12 -14 body will look like the model if we put on Spanx.  

We are all unique and beautiful human beings.  Go out in the world with your smile and your beauty will most definitely come shining through.  After all, it does take your beauty on the inside to come shining outwardly for the real beauty to be seen by others.