Why Image Matters

The desire to be attractive is inborn in every one of us. You could say we all have a touch of Adam, or Eve in us that calls us to return to perfection.

Each one of us knows someone who is externally good-looking, but then as we get to know them, their personality is really ugly and unattractive. Usually this is shocking to us because we assume an eye-catching person is beautiful inside and out. We think of good looks as a signal to the world that says, “I am loved and I'm lovable so you ought to get to know me.” And it should be! Yet, there is a modern epidemic in our culture regarding people who are beautiful to look at, yet really not attractive on the inside.If I know that I am loved by others, then it is easier to find beauty within myself, and self image is a healthy thing. When we know we are loved, it's not that we think we are better than anyone else, it's that we know we are valuable and we have dignity.

It is also much easier to take good care of my body when I'm able to look at myself in the mirror, and maintain dignity while honestly seeing both the good features and the imperfections. What I think about myself when I look in the mirror is powerful. It is the beginning of the defining my identity and establishes my ability to become everything I have the potential to be.
Have you ever looked at things on the rack and said, "that's just not me. "?The question is what really is me?

I can tell you this: I was bulimic in high school. The process that I went through to develop a healthy body image and a healthy self image from the inside out is my story. And I do know this: you can't develop a good self-image from the outside in; I know because I tried. Shirts, jackets, workout clothes, jewelry, shoes, tote bags, hairstyles and/or makeup... all these are fashion tools we can use to paint on the canvas of self. These are the tools we use to tell the world the story we want to them to know about ourselves. And the amount of money we spend in America on bath and beauty products, clothing, hair, make up , nails, exercise classes, weight loss pills etc. grows every year. Some people completely opt out of the whole fashion rat race and decide to go natural or take a gender-neutral look, (neither male or female) which doesn't take into account a person's unique body type. It's legitimate to not want to get stuck in playing the game; but is there something somewhere in between a "fashion diva" and completely opting out?What is the answer to anorexia and bulimia, crash diets, diet pills and all of the toxic self-image we have in America?

I'd say the most beautiful people know they are truly loved.
What do you think when you're shopping for clothes?What do you think when you see another beautiful person?What do you think when you see a photo of yourself?Are you at peace with your body and personality that you have?
Years ago I had a boss whose nickname for his wife is one of the most amazing expressions of love I have ever heard. Instead of simply calling her by her first name, this man always called his wife, "Treasure." I must say, that woman knew she was loved!

And therefore, she was beautiful.