A tall, slender body walking down the road, her ivory skin and blue eyes make you turn your head, her long silken tresses transfix your eyes and the luscious lips enthrall you. Is she the child of Venus? Well, going by our present standards of sizing beauty and narrowed vision of defining it, she is certainly the Aphrodite. We have limited our concept of beauty to just that what meets the eye. But beauty is not skin deep. It is more about pleasing somebody's heart than appealing to mere eyes.
The popularity of cosmetic surgeries like abdominoplasty (tummy tucking), blepharoplasty (reshaping the eyelids and application of permanent eye liner), rhinoplasty (nose correction), butox injections to conceal wrinkles, etc and the mushrooming beauty centers, poses a serious question before us. Has our body taken centre stage in our lives? We are treading towards a potentially dangerous zone of self vanity. Statistics show that 11.4 million cosmetic procedures were conducted in US alone in 2004. Seeing the common place nature of these surgeries in the west, the trend is catching up in the east. Bevy of young girls is lined across to undergo these surgeries to get that perfect pout of lips, the curvaceous waistline and those Naomi Campbell legs. The "beauty products" industry has never had it so good. The endless lotions that change the color and texture of your skin, the treatments that transform your hard curls into smooth mane or give your straight hair those bouncy curls, never had a more burgeoning market. This is not a campaign against the cosmetic industry neither is it wrong to look attractive by applying color to the lips or accentuating the eyes with kohl. But we begin to err, when we turn oblivion to our inner beauty. If we can embellish our heart and soul just the way we do to our body, only then can we expect a face as radiant as the morning glow and a million dollar smile to enchant the onlookers.
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder". We need to remind ourselves of this truth. For someone you mean the end of the world and for the other you are just another being on earth. So do these contradictory feelings explain anything about you? The fact is that the person who has fallen for you is not so charmed by your face than by the person you are. He admires the goodness of your soul and the gentleness of your heart. And this pure beauty reflects on your face which his eyes capture because he knows you and not just sees you. We get so influenced by the ravishing looks and the stylish ensembles of the actresses on screen, that we run to the nearest saloon and boutique to emulate them. But we fail to realize that a number of times it's the strength of the character they play and the values they portray, which makes them so likeable.
It is so saddening to see young pretty girls suffering from anorexia and severe psychological and health disorders because they believe they need to have that shapely figure to be in the good books of guys. While one day they will also hear somebody saying, "Guys do not like broomsticks." So do we require to be approved by others every time? Or will we muster up the pluck to accept and approve of ourselves the way we are. It is the transparency of your character and belief in yourself that DRAWS and RETAINS people in your life. When we look at an infant, it is the twinkle in his eyes and the innocence of his smile that does not let your eyes take off him. The same is true of adults. The simplicity of your body, sensitivity of your heart and strength of the soul will touch others forever. A beautiful verse from Theodore Tilten's poem "Even This Will Pass Away" explains the ephemeral nature of the corporal beauty.
Woman, fairest ever seen Was the bride he crowned as queen, Plowed on the marriage-bed Whispering to his soul, he said "Though no monarch ever pressed Fairer bosom to his chest, Mortal flesh is only clay! "EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY".
So while we may certainly go to enhance our looks and accentuate the curves, remember it is all transient and superficial. Beauty lies within you so let it come out and add that extra shine on your lovely countenance. COPYRIGHT 2005 http://www.mindbodynsoul.com
The popularity of cosmetic surgeries like abdominoplasty (tummy tucking), blepharoplasty (reshaping the eyelids and application of permanent eye liner), rhinoplasty (nose correction), butox injections to conceal wrinkles, etc and the mushrooming beauty centers, poses a serious question before us. Has our body taken centre stage in our lives? We are treading towards a potentially dangerous zone of self vanity. Statistics show that 11.4 million cosmetic procedures were conducted in US alone in 2004. Seeing the common place nature of these surgeries in the west, the trend is catching up in the east. Bevy of young girls is lined across to undergo these surgeries to get that perfect pout of lips, the curvaceous waistline and those Naomi Campbell legs. The "beauty products" industry has never had it so good. The endless lotions that change the color and texture of your skin, the treatments that transform your hard curls into smooth mane or give your straight hair those bouncy curls, never had a more burgeoning market. This is not a campaign against the cosmetic industry neither is it wrong to look attractive by applying color to the lips or accentuating the eyes with kohl. But we begin to err, when we turn oblivion to our inner beauty. If we can embellish our heart and soul just the way we do to our body, only then can we expect a face as radiant as the morning glow and a million dollar smile to enchant the onlookers.
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder". We need to remind ourselves of this truth. For someone you mean the end of the world and for the other you are just another being on earth. So do these contradictory feelings explain anything about you? The fact is that the person who has fallen for you is not so charmed by your face than by the person you are. He admires the goodness of your soul and the gentleness of your heart. And this pure beauty reflects on your face which his eyes capture because he knows you and not just sees you. We get so influenced by the ravishing looks and the stylish ensembles of the actresses on screen, that we run to the nearest saloon and boutique to emulate them. But we fail to realize that a number of times it's the strength of the character they play and the values they portray, which makes them so likeable.
It is so saddening to see young pretty girls suffering from anorexia and severe psychological and health disorders because they believe they need to have that shapely figure to be in the good books of guys. While one day they will also hear somebody saying, "Guys do not like broomsticks." So do we require to be approved by others every time? Or will we muster up the pluck to accept and approve of ourselves the way we are. It is the transparency of your character and belief in yourself that DRAWS and RETAINS people in your life. When we look at an infant, it is the twinkle in his eyes and the innocence of his smile that does not let your eyes take off him. The same is true of adults. The simplicity of your body, sensitivity of your heart and strength of the soul will touch others forever. A beautiful verse from Theodore Tilten's poem "Even This Will Pass Away" explains the ephemeral nature of the corporal beauty.
Woman, fairest ever seen Was the bride he crowned as queen, Plowed on the marriage-bed Whispering to his soul, he said "Though no monarch ever pressed Fairer bosom to his chest, Mortal flesh is only clay! "EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY".
So while we may certainly go to enhance our looks and accentuate the curves, remember it is all transient and superficial. Beauty lies within you so let it come out and add that extra shine on your lovely countenance. COPYRIGHT 2005 http://www.mindbodynsoul.com
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