Beauty Unmasked

GFG reader Heather Wood shares her thoughts on self-esteem, the media, and true beauty through poetry.

Beauty.

My heart breaks at the mention of this word.

The lies that the media has put in our heads about beauty are absurd.

They say you have to be skinny, they say you have to lose weight,

They say if you do these things then you’re sure to get a date.

They say you need make-up to cover up your so called flaws,

They say you need to shop for clothes at the most expensive malls.

They make beauty something that one cannot attain

They do it for their business; they do it for their own personal gain.

What they don’t realize is they’re damaging the self-esteem of girls everywhere.

They have created a monster in this nation and they don’t even care.

These girls that strive for beauty that the media describes,

Have been taught the wrong definition, they have been fed all kinds of lies.

Once you get even a little close to attaining that “beauty”, the media has more to say,

They devise a plan and simply throw more impossible standards to meet your way.

True beauty is not found in make-up, true beauty is not found in the cosmetic section of the store,

True beauty has a different meaning than the world’s definition, it means much much more.

True beauty is not that skinny, flawless model you see on the cover of the magazine.

That model doesn’t exist, she is fake. Her “beauty” is Photoshopped, you see.

Take away all that make-up, take away all that spray tan, and you start to realize

That model is just like you and me, caught in the media’s lies.

But just when the media thinks they won, a light of hope appears,

One person standing out and speaking truth in front of all their peers.

One person reminding everyone what we should have been told at the start:

True beauty isn’t about appearance; true beauty is about the heart.

True beauty doesn’t have impossible standards, it is an attainable prize.

True beauty doesn’t give you limits on what you can be; true beauty has no set size.

I look around this world and see beauty everywhere.

You are perfect as you are: your body, your weight, and your hair.

True beauty doesn’t force you to be someone new,

True beauty is you simply being you.

Beauty is from the heart, beauty is from the soul,

So smile, and be confident, you are beautiful!

 

"You are altogether beautiful, my darling! There is no blemish in you." Song of Solomon 4:7

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully well.” Psalm 139:14

"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7