Boy's thoughts on Beauty Week

During Beauty Week I had a lot of great conversations with guys on the topic. As I talked about Beauty Week with more and more guys I started to realize how much they had to say and what awesome thoughts they had on the whole topic. I decided I wanted them to share on this blog. I have specifically not included names. But both of these quotes are from men who attend IWU. 

“I loved this emphasis on beauty. I think girls get really caught up in presenting themselves as these glamorized people who don't really exist. Having lived with and discussed this with men, we are much more interested in a girl who is honest with her beauty. Not a girl who tries to alter her beauty, but one who embraces herself. That's a true beauty. Make-up has never been a necessity or anywhere near the list of criteria for a potential wife. In fact, the confidence of a girl who lets her natural beauty shine is far more attractive than any amount of concealer or eyeshadow.”

“Let’s be honest, most girls usually look better when they wear makeup than when they don’t. Even if a girl looks pretty without makeup, when she chooses not to wear it, we notice something is different. Our culture has taught us that girls wear makeup, and that’s just how it should be. Is it wrong for girls to wear makeup? I would say definitely not. But girls, especially Christian girls, should question why they wear makeup, and what truly makes them beautiful."

        The Bible has many things to say about true beauty, beauty that comes from the Lord. 1st Samuel 16:7 says that “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Then in 1st Peter 3:4, it says that true beauty comes from a “gentle and quiet spirit.” So knowing this, Christian girls and guys should both acknowledge that true beauty does not come from how we look on the outside, but from who we are, and from how we were made. (Check out Psalm 139:14)
        I’m not going to say that I think wearing makeup is right or wrong. That’s not my place. But ultimately, I think that if a girl feels like she is worth more because of the makeup she is wearing, that is a problem. She should know that she is beautiful without it. Our culture puts a great emphasis on physical beauty. Is physical beauty wrong? No. But it becomes wrong if it’s the only thing we focus on. So as Christians, we should challenge our culture’s perception of beauty with the true beauty that comes from God. I think North Hall Beauty Week was a creative way of challenging that perception.”

That Break in Spring

Now is the time. The time we have long awaited. Spring Break is here. Don’t let it slip by. It is all too easy for us to greet this long expected guest and before we know it…it’s gone. Soak it up. 

For me, it helps to cast a vision. I cast a vision of what I want my break to be like. I try to be realistic. As much as I want to go to Puerto Rico…I really don’t think that it’s happening this year.  Here are some example visions I will make up….now.

1.       The Relaxing Spring Break: I want to catch up on TV shows. I want to sleep in till I can’t sleep in no more. (insert whatever else relaxing you want to do)

2.       The Catch up/Get ahead: I want to see old friends from home. I want to have great conversations with them. I want to work on some of my school work so I don’t have to deal with it later. 

3.       Travel: I am going somewhere… (self explanatory really)

Get creative. Just don’t let your spring break pass you by without creating a vision….or it’ll be gone in a flash and you will feel like you’ve done nothing. If you state that you want to relax and watch TV….and that’s what you do…then you will know that you accomplished that. Think also about what you NEED from this break. Make it a break. Do you need sleep? DO IT! Do you need to have intentional conversations with people? Have them. Do you need to plan out your classes for the next few years? Now’s a great time for that. 

Side story: Last year I needed to cuddle a puppy for my spring break. My mom being the supermom that she is lets us foster sit for dogs that would otherwise be in shelters. It just so happened that there was a foster dog family that needed someone to watch their puppy for a few nights. It worked out perfectly. I got to sleep in on the days that puppy wasn’t there…and when it was there I got some great puppy love.

Maybe it’s not a puppy that you need/want. But figure out whatever it is. Make it happen. Ask God to bless your time and your conversations. And He will.

Beauty Week

This past week was beauty week in North Hall. We take the week to focus on inward beauty rather than outward beauty.

 1 Samuel 16:7 says "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

Our society has really screwed up our perception of beauty. Like seriously screwed it up. It makes me angry just to think about it. We all know what our society sees as beautiful. It is pointless for me to make a list. However, how often do we focus on what the Lord sees as beautiful? 

1 Peter 3:3-4 says “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.”

Throughout the week there are different reminders and challenges. On Monday we were challenged to focus our thoughts. As women we have ridiculous amount of negative body thoughts every day. Again I think this is caused a lot by our society’s perception of beauty that we all strive to live up to (which is impossible).  On Tuesday we focused on what is considered beautiful in other cultures. On Wednesday every girl was challenged to wear jeans, a white, t-shirt, and no make-up. I think that this is such a great challenge. So often we hide behind our creative outfits and layers of make-up. However, I think that not wearing those things really focuses on the imperishable beauty that each woman holds. On Thursday we had a challenge to wear a rubber band on our wrist. Each time that we gave someone a compliment on outward appearance we switched the rubber band to the other wrist. I was shocked by how often I compliment other people on outward appearances. I am not a high fashion person…so it really surprised me. I then would try to follow those compliments up with compliments that were deeper and focused on the person’s character and inner beauty. Friday we focused our thoughts on the Proverbs 31 woman.  

Overall, the week was great. I along with some of my fellow RA’s decided to go without make-up for the whole week. It was quite a challenge. I was amazed by how often I felt the need to apologize for not wearing make-up, or explain myself. It’s just me? There is nothing wrong with that. Another huge take away from the week was the difference between telling someone “You look beautiful” and saying “You are beautiful”. 

Focus on your inward beauty. Focus on others inward beauty. Lets continue to redefine beauty.