Beauty Gone Awry

The last blog got me thinking. If we ~ as grown women who have come into our own ~ battle with the pressures of youth, beauty and the modern way ~ can you imagine what young girls and women are dealing with?

Be yourself. Be happy with who you are. The only opinion that matters is your own. And- don't judge a book by its cover.

I'd venture to guess that most parents still continue to instill these values in their daughters. About respect for yourself; respect for others. About what matters. Inside.

By the time kids hit their tweens, it's no secret that parents have less and less influence over what and how they think. Their friends and the media take over, forces as strong as any. And what are they saying? You'd better be pretty. Skinny. Hot. Big breasted. Unique differences or imperfections need not apply.

Teens have always been hard on each other. But now, just by going online, they have the power to ruin another's reputation, and tragically, sometimes even a life. And they do. All because someone deemed them physically unworthy. No wonder the pressures on kids have risen exponentially.

As adults who have actually lived through times when life wasn't consistently tainted by images of sex, violence and empty values, we have the vantage point of perspective. But what do kids have, especially if they didn't have solid parents to teach them about their own strengths and inner beauty? They most likely seek physical perfection, and erroneously with that, their self worth. Think about it - even plastic surgery is readily available to the masses. And sadly, many young girls are embracing it.

So here I stand, looking back in that mirror, and seeing my foolishness pretty clearly. Yes, I'll always be proud and want to look and feel my best. But I'm on the natural plan. Inside and outside. And, what I do, I'll do only for me.