By Miss Emily C. - 2009 Essay Contest Grand Prize Winner
Every year People Magazine issues a special
edition called “100 Most Beautiful People.” The physical allure of celebrities,
actresses, and models is promoted as the epitome of beauty and the ultimate
goal for every young girl in America. Yet, the moral decline of America’s youth
exemplified in the rise of teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and eating disorders
seems to prove quite the contrary. Since these beautiful people, the “cultural
gods”, if you will, have been set up as role models for America’s children, we
have seen a generation of young women arise who have not become any more
beautiful, but in fact increasingly morally repulsive.
As America moves more towards an image based
culture it is perfectly logical that the way one looks makes a difference. In
order to become the face to represent America, women tout their charms in
beauty competitions such as the Miss America pageant every year with killer
television ratings. However, beauty is not a new obsession, if one will recall
the Biblical account of Esther. In order to find a new queen, King Xerxes
collected the most beautiful women in his kingdom and held an episode of
“extreme makeover” in his palace so that these women would look their best for
him. People throughout the ages have always been enamored with physical beauty,
but the extent of the obsession has become ingrained in some cultures more than
others. Usually, the cultures which value beauty the most are the cultures that
are highly developed and sophisticated; such as ancient Greece, Rome, and the
modern day United States of America and Great Britain, to name a few. These
countries have all created a lofty, and often unattainable ideal image and the
women of their cultures have suffered greatly for it. Television corroborates
this point clearly. From commercial actresses to movie stars it is rare to see
an unattractive woman in the bunch. And yet, when one investigates the lives of
these women, they are often riddled with immorality and heartache. Yet the culture
doesn’t seem to care what is in your heart as long as you look good. Why is
this? It is because beauty sells. Smart advertisers know that to catch people’s
attention it is advantageous to use a beautiful woman. Because of this,
children and young women alike are constantly being assaulted with a Grecian
ideal of physical allure. Nevertheless, this ideal beauty does not make its
bearer any happier. Models starve themselves to fit into the latest trends,
actresses become addicted to plastic surgery, and many young women in America
admit to feelings of inadequacy and desperation at not being able to attain
this paradigm of loveliness.
So in truth, it seems that though the world’s
view of beauty sells, it does not fulfill. The reason for this being that no
matter what one’s outward appearance may be, a heart bankrupt of Jesus Christ
and His righteousness can never attain true, unfading beauty. The true unfading
beauty described in God’s Word does not come from the outside, but from within.
Isaiah 61:10 says, “... My soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed
me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of
righteousness...” Thus, beauty begins when a sinner looks to Calvary, where
Christ made it possible for everyone to be reconciled to God and to wear the
robe of His righteousness. Though it is true that beauty comes from within, it
is not self-perpetuating; and the external force is not makeup, surgery or
expensive clothes, it is Christ. With His sacrificial death, Christ paved the
way to true beauty and true fulfillment in a life led serving Him.
True beauty starts in the heart, but is to be
constantly emitted through one’s actions and words to others. One example of
this is Jane Austen’s unlikely heroine, Anne Eliot, of Persuasion. Still
unmarried at twenty-seven, poor Anne has lost her bloom. Her vain father finds
little attractive about her appearance and thus ignores her, turning his
attention to his eldest and most attractive daughter, Elizabeth. Anne is not much
more than a servant in her own home, yet she bears it all with grace and
patience. Instead of going to parties, she stays home and watches her nephew;
instead of visiting royalty with her father and sister, Anne chooses to visit a
sickly friend. Anne’s selfless attitude in the face of a disagreeable situation
endears her to the reader and creates a picture of true beauty to which women
may look for guidance and encouragement. Another example of true beauty is the
woman described in Proverbs 31. She is described as a positive influence on her
husband, a hard worker, an entrepreneur; wise, compassionate, kind, and strong.
Note carefully that the woman’s physical stature is not mentioned at all, but
her heart attitude, actions, and reputation are. We do not read that this woman
is suffering from poor self-image, nor do we read that she is touting her
perfect size 0 figure in the gates. Proverbs 31:26 states that “in her tongue
is the law of kindness”, and verse 28 says that her family rises up and praises
her. Proverbs 31:31 says, “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own
works praise her in the gates”.
She is a clear representation of the principle set forth by Christ in
Luke 6:45 which states, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth
forth that which is good... for of the abundance of the heart his mouth
speaketh.” The beauty of the Proverbs 31 woman is manifest in her heart, and
then demonstrated through her words, actions, and reputation.