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Last week, on Thanksgiving Eve, a Facebook friend of mine posted a picture of her incredibly flat stomach after she had finished her workout at the gym. My first response was to send her evil thoughts; the second thought was to mail her an enormous pumpkin pie and tell her to eat it and shut up. I also considered going to the gym on Thanksgiving, but decided instead to just eat more salad and less mashed potatoes and pie.
Preoccupation with our waistlines is nothing new for women. As I slipped into my jeans and loose-fitting shirt, I thought about the unfortunate women of the Victorian era who were forced to wear corsets to keep their tiny waists. Eating more than a sliver of pumpkin pie would have probably made it impossible to breathe. In fact, all their organs were crushed and deformed as a result of the wretched contraption.
However, you have to admit, the women did look beautiful with their sweeping full skirts and decorative sleeves. Women of the Victorian era were undeniably feminine. And while a part of me would love to feel like Vivian Leigh in "Gone with the Wind," I'd probably not last more than thirty minutes in a corset, layers of petticoats, and a long full skirt. Just thinking about such restrictive garments makes me feel claustrophobic.
Preoccupation with our waistlines is nothing new for women. As I slipped into my jeans and loose-fitting shirt, I thought about the unfortunate women of the Victorian era who were forced to wear corsets to keep their tiny waists. Eating more than a sliver of pumpkin pie would have probably made it impossible to breathe. In fact, all their organs were crushed and deformed as a result of the wretched contraption.
However, you have to admit, the women did look beautiful with their sweeping full skirts and decorative sleeves. Women of the Victorian era were undeniably feminine. And while a part of me would love to feel like Vivian Leigh in "Gone with the Wind," I'd probably not last more than thirty minutes in a corset, layers of petticoats, and a long full skirt. Just thinking about such restrictive garments makes me feel claustrophobic.
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While we may not be expected to wear corsets, hoop skirts, and other such heavy and cumbersome contraptions, I fear we still carry for more baggage concerning our appearances than we should. It may not be the Lady's Godey Book telling us what to wear, but from every angle of the media we are inundated with images of the modern expectation of beauty. And it's just as unnatural and twisted as the corset, which restricted the lungs and compressed the internal organs. We see celebrities who've had plastic surgery, or whose pictures have been photoshopped or airbrushed, and compare ourselves to that standard.
Don't get me wrong. It's good to eat more fruit and less chocolate, and to make regular exercise a lifestyle choice. But somehow as women, we need to learn to accept ourselves. To search for a different concept of beauty which any one of us can achieve. I wish I knew how to instill confidence in my teenage daughter, to teach her not to compare herself to others and to the cultural expectations around us. I wish I knew how to do this myself.
Don't get me wrong. It's good to eat more fruit and less chocolate, and to make regular exercise a lifestyle choice. But somehow as women, we need to learn to accept ourselves. To search for a different concept of beauty which any one of us can achieve. I wish I knew how to instill confidence in my teenage daughter, to teach her not to compare herself to others and to the cultural expectations around us. I wish I knew how to do this myself.
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I Peter 3:3-4 "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."
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