Let's Get Really Real about Real Women!

For decades, the media has force fed us images of what is deemed the "perfect woman". Television commercials, magazine covers, and music videos, have gorged us with what society has unconsciously accepted as the ideal image; causing us women to feel we don't measure up. Even store-front mannequins are weapons that have preyed on the insecurities of women of all ages. While some advocates of healthy self esteem, such as the Dove Evolution of Real Beauty campaign, have outed the obvious Photoshop'd distortions of the reality of women; the revised version that displays women of all shapes, sizes, and builds, still isn't the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

THE ALMOST REAL REALITY

I saw a on Facebook the other day and was instantly drawn; as many women may have been. How could we not be drawn? It's finally an image of women of all shapes and sizes; this MUST be a metaphorical slap in the face to all those forms of media that made us feel so badly once before. Let me preface this next statement by saying this is in no way a shot against the artist. I actually appreciate the circulation of this image; not to mention the ability of the artist. With that said, let's take a closer look...Is it obvious to most onlookers the noticeable "standouts"? Of course; it's likely the chubby ladies. But do you notice how all of the women are still somehow, in some way, perfected? 

All of these women are posing, in positions you know good and well we don't just walk around, or even stand around in. Somehow, they've all managed to find a suit that fits their perfect body type, their skin appears smooth and flawless, and all of their faces are as if they're out of a fantasy animation.

LET'S GET REAL!

And by real, I mean honest! We are not just different shapes, sizes, and figures. We are not just different heights, weights, and ethnic backgrounds. We are also not Stepford, southern-charm robots who look the same when we wake up, as we did when we walked down the aisle on our wedding day. We are REAL women! We burp loudly after drinking a carbonated beverage. We scratch ourselves in private places when we wake up or when the random itch surprises us at the most inconvenient times. We blow, wipe, and pick our noses, and sometimes we open the Kleenex afterwards to look at it. We fart, and it stinks. We poop, and it stinks. We have bad breath in the morning with that strip of white film around our lips that looks like dried up spit from drooling in our dreams. We have birth marks and childhood scars from getting stitches. We have stretch marks on our bellies from carrying children in a place only God would have thought of. We have varicose veins. We have cellulite, our legs sometimes rub together, and our fat jiggles when we walk; even when we only weigh 95 pounds soaking wet. Sometimes we get pimples and sometimes we get pimples so big, in the most inconvenient places, that we look like we could lead a non-existent Santa's sleigh on Christmas. We wear makeup to cover up what we think are flaws because we think no one else in the world has them. We get food stuck in our teeth, our armpits sweat, we pluck the hairs from our chins, shave the hair from our toes, and bleach and wax our mustache. Our hair gets messy, we snore, and once a month we have to wear a device made of cotton inside of our private parts because we bleed for crying out loud. Why in the world do we accept that periods are a part of life, but everything else is taboo? 

We're human beings; we're not exempt from all the gross stuff that happens to us just because we're female. The only reason we think we've deceived people, and ourselves into thinking otherwise is because we try to hide it; for fear of giving off any other image than what we see in media AND in front of our faces. Don't get me wrong; I believe there is a time and place for most of these behaviors, but we shouldn't be hiding them in front of our spouses and especially in front of ourselves.

BEAUTY COMES FROM WITHIN?

It's been said that true beauty comes from within, and we all likely have a personal experience with that. We've all met someone in our lives who appeared to be attractive on the outside, but the moment we realized their personality or character, their physical appearance instantly became ugly. On the flip side of that, we've met those who the world would not consider pretty or handsome, yet their heart makes them attractive to others.

CHALLENGING NEW PERSPECTIVE

While I will agree to a degree that beauty is only skin deep, I challenge everyone; men and women, to take it one step further and see beauty from an angle that perhaps you've never wanted to approach. I challenge all women to see themselves in a light that perhaps hasn't been seen by your eyes before. 

I challenge you to recognize that true beauty, the kind that's lasting, comes from the confidence in who we are, IN THE MIDST of what we look like. . I challenge you to see that a real woman is defined by her confidence in Christ; a confidence that's unshakable, unmistakable, unashamed, unsearchable, bold, and fearless with a heart full of emotions. I challenge you to see that true beauty is walking in the freedom of being who you are, regardless of what you look like and that a real woman never compromises who she is for the sake of what she looks like to anyone, including herself!