It responded, “My Queen, you are the fairest here so true. But Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful than you.” Well, this just sends the jealous Queen into a tailspin. Why? Because someone is more beautiful than her in the kingdom.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Does beauty have power? Yes, it can have both positive and negative effects over you…if you let it. In an interview with Lauren Hull, beauty and fashion stylist and blogger for The Rosewater Edit, she shared with me a story about a very successful and accomplished woman and the powerful effects of beauty.
Hull recalled, “After this professional woman completed delivering a remarkable presentation, she encountered a former college colleague after the event. After pleasantries were exchanged, she immediately turned to me and said, ‘She aged better than I did.’” Hull observed this brilliant lady deflate right before her eyes; the woman’s countenance changed completely. “In that moment, she felt less than and failed to recognize her own intrinsic worth,” pointed out Hull. “It was heartbreaking to watch.”
It’s an easy trap to fall into. Self-deprecating and body shaming comments can fall quickly from our lips when we compare ourselves to someone else. “This younger generation can easily get self-absorbed and that‘s a dangerous, slippery slope.” Hull added. With ‘selfies’ and the insatiable draw to visual social mediums, appearances are important. However, they are easily altered with the tilt of a camera and Photoshop to provide the best possible image.
“That’s why I started The Rosewater Edit,” said Hull. “My blog focuses on women’s natural beauty, skin health, and longevity. Today, young girls are exposed to heavier make-up forms and everyone is trying to sell you something to fix what’s wrong with you. When the emphasis is shifted from covering up and altering, that’s when we can learn to love ourselves better. I like to take the beauty approach – accentuate + enhance + nourish.”
Comparison creates competition. “It’s hard not to compare ourselves to each other, to see what others have that you don’t. And, it’s important to not let someone else’s successes create competition in your life. See it as confirmation that the Lord can do that for you, too.” Hull hopes to change the conversation and see these opportunities as “teachable moments” between young girls and their parents – changing the conversation to see one’s beauty shine from within and not solely focus on outward appearances.
Take a moment, smile, and say, “I have everything I need.”
To know God’s unconditional love for us means to be at peace to know he created us in his image. As we continue to age and evolve through the seasons of our lives, enjoy and embrace exactly who you are. After all, age is a state of mind, not a chronological state. Finding fulfillment in your life (your happy place) is when you are able to identify evidence of your heart, soul, and joy in your work. That’s where people’s true beauty shines brightly for all to see.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
And the magic mirror replied, “Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.” – 1 Timothy 2:8-10 (MSG)
For more information about Lauren Hull’s blog, The Rosewater Edit, visit: https://therosewateredit.com
About Katie Hart Smith
Katie Hart Smith’s column, “From the Heart,” touches the heart, inspires, and entertains. Smith, a published author for over twenty years, believes that words, written or spoken, have power. To learn more, visit www.katiehartsmith.com.
