Real is the Ideal

 I never feel more beautiful than when I'm lying in the sun at the beach, with sand between my toes, the salty breeze blowing my hair and skin, and the sun warming every part of me. I feel real, and I feel a connection to God that I don't feel in quite the same way anywhere else. 

I didn't always feel this way--in fact, I used to purposely go to the beach when I knew there wouldn't be many people around, because at the beach I was makeup-less, wearing a swimsuit that displayed parts of my body I hadn't yet accepted and couldn't imagine anyone else would, and my hair was always a mess from the saltwater and breezes. Not to mention the pressure to appear to have no body hair, stretch marks, or cellulite. Talk about adding stress to something that should be a relaxing experience!

Thankfully, I finally realized something. I am real. I'm a growing, changing, moving, alive human being, and I shouldn't strive to be a frozen image of perfection, like a cover of a magazine. There is no way to Photoshop ourselves in real life, and why would we want to? Why should we have to? It has gotten to the point where we are so used to seeing women's bodies in the media that are Photoshopped out of reality, that when we look at ourselves in the mirror, all we see is our flaws. 

This article on BeautyRedefined.net, one of my favorite inspiration beauty websites, is a great read to recognize that the faces and bodies we see in the media aren't exactly what they seem. Thankfully, the recognition of this is getting wider spread, and companies like Aerie are no longer Photoshopping their models. Now, we just need to internalize this principle for ourselves, so instead of seeing our flaws when we look in the mirror, we see just how beautiful real is. 

My favorite part of 500 Days of Summer. :)

Be authentic to you and what makes you happy. Do you like to wear makeup? Great! Go for it. Not so much? That's fine too. You don't have to live up to anyone else's expectations for what a woman should look like. You don't owe beauty to anyone else. You certainly shouldn't feel pressure to change, get plastic surgery, or do anything else in the name of "beauty" that you are uncomfortable with. Nothing could make you more beautiful or desirable than you already are as a real, breathing, living woman who is a daughter of God, created in His image. 

 

You are the ideal, not some fake, plastic reality Photoshopped on the cover of a magazine. Everything about you is beautiful because it's you. You are gorgeous, loved, amazing, and yes, flawed. And that's perfectly okay.