Reachel Bagley, a fashion consultant, addresses the difference between pretty and hot in her shared article “In The News: A Call to Resurrect Pretty.” The article was originally written by a Catholic man, Pat Archbold. I would definitely recommend that you read it. The article defines “pretty” as a beauty that begins inside, a combination of beauty and innocence. And in the writer’s opinion, girls of today are trading in their desire to be pretty for a desire to appear “hot.”
I remember being in third grade with my best friend and talking about boys. We had just started “noticing” them, and we each had a certain one that we liked. My friend’s sister was older than us and had all kinds of makeup products. Since I was raised in the truth, I knew that it was wrong to wear makeup. But I thought it would be okay to just try it. As a young eight-year-old girl, I had already made a connection to makeup and boys. I was pretty sure that makeup was a quick way to get a boy to notice me. My friend and I asked her sister to put makeup on us to make us look “hot.” Thankfully, the sister just scoffed at us and told us we were too young to even be thinking that way.
Isn’t it something how the desire to appear hot is ingrained in our culture? Hot. Ugh. Sometimes that word makes me shudder. I often hear young Apostolic girls using that word, and words like it, either as a compliment to others or as a personal aspiration. Being “hot” is a very dangerous thing to be focused on. How are you supposed to keep your hearts and bodies pure if you’re evaluating yourself and others by that quality?
One of my very favorite books is Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. It is a must read for women of all ages. It addresses what is at the core of the feminine heart. We so want to be loved and admired and sought after, but trying to be “hot” is not the way to do it.
“The vast desire and capacity a woman has for intimate relationships tells us of God’s vast desire and capacity for intimate relationships. In fact, this may be The most important thing we ever learn about God–that He yearns for relationship with us. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God” (John 17:3). The whole story of the Bible is a love story between God and His people. He yearns for us. He cares. He has a tender heart.”
― Stasi Eldredge, Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul
We long to feel admired, to feel meaningful and needed. These are natural, God-given feelings. These feelings create a void that only God can fill. God is simply trying to draw us in to Him so that we can see just how powerful His love is for us. Whether you’re single or not, the only way to fulfill that desire to be loved and appreciated is to turn to God. If we can learn to get these needs met from Him, we won’t have to resort to trying to get them met from a boyfriend or husband.
We won’t have to learn the intricacies of flirting, of dressing in a way to get someone’s attention, or all the eyelash batting and hip swaying. We can simply be confident in our identity and be … pretty. We can stand firm in the knowledge that God created us just as we are, and thinks that we’re pretty fantastic.
So today, may we look to God for our validation. May we stop dressing in immodest clothes solely because they draw attention. May we realize that it is okay in this modern age to actually be innocent. To be pure. May we have the courage to break out of the cultural box and be pretty.
No comments:
Post a Comment