Are You Beautiful?

I rarely watch live TV shows. I usually watch through NETFLIX and only at night when the kids are asleep. A few nights ago, my husband was watching the news. I was on my IPAD reading some blog posts from my fellow bloggers. Suddenly, something got my attention. I thought it was unique and interesting. There was a very good message being sent out to everybody.

Last week, (April 6, 2015), Lane Bryant  launched a campaign called, #ImNoAngel  in Manhattan. The campaign appeals to plus-sized women. Unlike Victoria’s Secret, this caters to women sizes 14 to 28.  “The campaign features a video of six lingerie-clad women, including talking about what makes them feel sexy. “It’s all about how you feel,” one model says”. (By Jennifer Swann, TakePart’s culture and lifestyle reporter)

“Our brand has begun to change the conversation of traditional notions of beauty, and we are excited to break the mold of how society defines sexy,” said Lane Bryant president and chief executive officer Linda Heasley” (David Moin, wwd.com)

http://www.skinnyvscurvy.com

This topic talks about being sexy. It then led me to my question of who is beautiful? What is beautiful? The society has defined it and dictated what we should aim to look like. As a result, some people who have the money resort to surgery to change their looks. Some want to be super skinny and aim a “perfect” body. Some use all kinds of whitening products to look fairer and flawless (common in Asian countries). For those who can not look like it, they begin to feel very self conscious or maybe have a low self esteem/perception of self.  They may think they are less beautiful/sexy or not beautiful/sexy at all. There is nothing wrong in trying to improve oneself, doing your best to look beautiful. Beauty makes life more wonderful. It is how the society/media defines who and what is beautiful. I guess we just have to include/represent everyone. I hope the social media will continuously help promote self acceptance and uplift the spirit of all people, to let them realize that they are beautiful regardless of the past, sizes, colors, clothes they wear, and accessories they own.

As parents, we have the responsibility to remind our children what real beauty is. We do not want them to be enslaved by vanity.  Now a song is playing in my head. I would like to share it with you:

Beautiful 

by Christina Aguilera

Everyday is so wonderful
Then suddenly
It’s hard to breathe
Now and then I get insecure
From all the pain
I’m so ashamed

I am beautiful
No matter what they say
Words can’t bring me down
I am beautiful
In every single way
Yes words can’t bring me down
Oh no
So don’t you bring me down today

To all your friends you’re delirious
So consumed
In all your doom, ooh
Trying hard to fill the emptiness
The pieces gone
Left the puzzle undone
Ain’t that the way it is

You’re beautiful
No matter what they say
Words can’t bring you down
Oh no
You’re beautiful
In every single way
Yes words can’t bring you down
Oh no
So don’t you bring me down today

No matter what we do (no matter what we do)
No matter what we say (no matter what we say)
We’re the song inside the tune (yeah, oh yeah)
Full of beautiful mistakes

And everywhere we go (and everywhere we go)
The sun will always shine (the sun will always, always, shine)
And tomorrow we might awake
On the other side

We’re beautiful
No matter what they say
Yes words won’t bring us down
Oh no
We are beautiful
In every single way
Yes words can’t bring us down
Oh no
So don’t you bring me down today

Oh, oh
Don’t you bring me down today
Don’t you bring me down, ooh
Today