What's Your Standard of Beauty?

Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org

The media has a strong influence on how we see and feel about ourselves. From weight loss, cosmetics, teeth whitening to hair texture, hair and skin color, we receive direct and subliminal messages about beauty and appearance daily. Even our families, friends and region we live, influences and determines our overall outlook on beauty standards.

Do you feel comfortable in your own skin? Is there something you would change if you could? These questions surface when we compare ourselves to others or try to achieve a look other than our own. 

This is the root to the real standard of beauty. Wearing trendy clothes or the latest haircut does not provide you with the self-confidence, value or self-esteem that you desire. It may make you feel great for a short period of time, but it does not replace that inner peace of being comfortable in your own skin if you’re always reaching for something outside of yourself.

You can frost a cake but if the cake is burnt, no matter how pretty it looks on the outside, it won't taste good. There're so many methods of covering up our authentic nature. The root of the issue is why do you feel you need to bleach your skin, wear hair extensions or get plastic surgery to alter your lips, nose, breast, hips, butt or whatever other feature that plagues you?

Women and men are changing their features for no apparent reason. There is nothing physically wrong with them, but they go through great measures to change their looks. Sometimes, they end up with a botched job that is irreplaceable and irreversible and has an impact on their overall health. Is it really worth it?

The natural hair movement was created to embrace your authentic self. It is also a lifestyle. There has been an underlying undercurrent of bias, discrimination, and self-hatred within all races of society. However, African-Americans have suffered the most psychological damage. 

In current years, the African-American community has finally stepped into their own acceptance of how they define beauty since it was never accepted in mainstream society.  Many races and cultures have copied, imitated and adopted hairstyles by taking ownership and renaming popular styles like, “The Twist Out” and renaming it as, “Rope Braids” or “Rope Twists.” These are the same exact styles that African-Americans have created within their own culture decades ago.

In the same breath, the court system has just legalized the ban of dreadlocks being worn in the workplace. After years of debating this argument, it was accepted in the workplace even though there was still discriminating cases that arose. They are steady increases of hair discrimination publically. It’s hard to believe that the court system even has time to deal with such superficial issues when they need to be dealing with real issues in the nation. How we view beauty should not infringe on the liberty and freedom to wear a chosen hairstyle.

Even within the African American community, there are negative beliefs, feedback, and comments scorning natural hair styles with harsh descriptions such as unclean, dirty, ugly and nappy.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. In other countries, women wear large, brass rings around their necks to stretch their neck out. The longer the neck appears, the more beautiful they are known to become. In other parts of the world, heavy women are considered beautiful. However, other cultures view petite, thin women as beautiful.

Around the globe, there is a standard of beauty influenced and dominated by the mass population. In the end, the only real thing that matters is that you're comfortable in your own skin. Defining your own beauty, regardless of the differences found in society, is where true beauty thrives.

It’s the freedom to be who you are without assimilating to standards and limitations pushed by external forces. To reach that level of beauty is only found by reaching within. It's only by owning your power with infinite spiritual wisdom and grace. Whether you are short or tall, thin or curvy or wear your hair natural, curly, straight, locked or braided, be fearless and rock your flavor.