That's What Makes You Beautifullllllll ;)

If you read the title of this without bursting out into the One Direction song, I'd be pretty impressed- cause ever since I typed that title I haven't been able to get the chorus out of my head.

My last blog, I became victim of what I like to call "conceited blogging". To be honest with y'all, when I saw that the first day my blog went up it got over 450 hits, I instantly felt like a celebrity; like people were actually curious about what I had to say. I let it feed my ego a little, and the very thing that I was blogging about (identity) was the very thing I began to misplace. I placed my identity (that day) into a sea of words that probably should've just stayed scribbled out in my journal as a personal letter to Jesus.

But "tonight", at 1:29am as I toss in bed, one specific topic plagued my mind. (Actually, to be honest, I made myself coffee at 11:20pm and I haven't even thought about sleep even though I have to be up for church in 5 hours). But the topic that I'm stuck on just happens to be BEAUTY.


I guess this ones gonna be mostly for the girls; but not just any girl. This blog is for the girls who don't want to just grow up to be "women", but want to grow up to be ladies. This ones for the girls who want to be virtuous, who want to be brave; this ones for the girls who still believe in chivalry and class. CLASS is still attainable. Lady-likeness is still attainable. And, believe it or not, even if you can't sew, being a Proverbs 31 woman is still possible (that's why Jesus created seamstresses, even if you aren't one I bet you know where to find one).


I saw this video (link will be on the bottom of this blog), and it was a Dove video about redefining SELFIES. Selfies, of all things. And it really got me thinking. I think about all the little things I do in selfies. And not just selfies, all pictures really. I think about how I self consciously stick a leg out to flatter my body or how I try to stand on the left side because that's where my sidebangs fall on my face and it looks prettier; I think about how I suck in or how I open my eyes wider, how I tilt my head and how I place my hand on my waist to emphasize my smallest parts... and I realized, pictures are so posed. I know you're probably thinking, "duh Anna". But stay with me a minute.

Pictures are so posed. And where do we get our definition of beauty from? Images. Sure, a part of it comes from seeing other girls; girls that are skinnier than us, that wear less makeup than us and still look "less ratchet" then us (oh and by the way, I'm guilty of this too, but in case you weren't aware, a "ratchet" is a tool, not an adjective)... But my point is we constantly are comparing ourselves to that "one in a million shot" that was taken of a model and airbrushed and posed but yet what we compare ourselves to is what we see when we get out of the shower and our faces are red and splotchy and our mascara from the night before has dripped under our eyes and we look like zombies. And then we look in the mirror and we see all these other images of beautiful people flash through our heads... but they are POSED. They aren't necessarily fake (although some are), but they are POSED.


I want to challenge you in a few different ways, because this has what Jesus has put on my heart personally to do. Here goes:

1) Stop comparing your worst to somebody else's best. I realize it's human nature to compare, and although I don't agree with it, I know it's how our minds work. So here's my (hopefully) very realistic challenge. Next time you find yourself comparing yourself to somebody else, I want you to 1) STOP. And then next, I want you to get on the cutest outfit you have, I want you to curl your hair and put on your blush and favorite lipstick and whatever else you like to put on that gorgeous canvas of yours, and then I want you to check yourself out. GIRLLLLL, you be lookin' good. And instead of focusing on the features of that other chick, I want you to focus on YOUR beautiful features. How great you feel in those jeans or that skirt. Pay yourself 5 compliments. You deserve it girl. And might I add, those jeans make your tush look GREATTTT ;)
2) For every feature you don't like, find one you do like. Pretty self explanatory, right? But next time you find yourself staring at that awkward bacne (and for those of you who don't know what that is, those are back pimples that girls sometimes get when they decide to use horse shampoo instead of human shampoo as an experiment to make their hair grow... or at least that was what happened to me one summer- I WILL NEVER GO BACK)...anyways where was I? Next time you find yourself staring at those imperfections, I want you to time yourself. I'm serious. You want to look at your bacne, your big nose, your cellulite, fine. But I challenge you to take twice as much time looking at a feature you love. Look at those sparkly eyeballs. Or those deep chocolate pools of yumminess that girls with dark brown eyes have. Take a second to stop staring at the love handles and look at your neck. Your hands. Your ankles. Your ears. Your hair. That freckle on the inside of your arm that you've always thought was really cute. Focus on the things you like. The more of those you find, the less those little other things will  seem to matter.
3) Don't be afraid to smile. No matter who you are, no matter what your smile looks like, I believe a girl is most beautiful when she is happy. I don't care if you have the least amount of confidence in the world. Do what makes you happy. I mean let's be blunt for a second- even if you were "the ugliest person on the face of the planet", putting the right outfit and right amount of makeup on is only gonna help so much. But if you pursue happiness (my favorite form is actually joy and that's through JESUS...), and you are truly content with who you are and the life you live, you will be absolutely radiant. Confidence, joy, happiness, and peace? Those are what I believe defines beauty, because I believe beauty is actually radiance.

So be radiant, ladies. Shine. Know who you are in Christ. Don't take anything less than you deserve. Stop looking at your insecurities and look to Jesus.
"The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." -Psalm 28:7
I don't know about you, but that verse is pretty beautiful to me. And I can't picture anyone who isn't absolutely beautiful and radiant praying that prayer. So I guess I'm adding one more challenge... make Psalm 28:7 YOUR prayer. Become radiant. Because radiance makes you beautiful.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFkm1Hg4dTI