Pretty is as pretty does

When I was a kid, I recall my Mom saying to me at moments I was not behaving so gracefully - "Pretty is as pretty does." I used to pour over Seventeen and Young Miss Magazines to see the latest fashions, make-up tips, and trends. I'd read those magazines from cover to cover and back again. Everything inside of those pages seems controlled, fun, beautiful and well... the ideal.

At that time I remember being frustrated by my big bone structure, because no matter how thin I'd wish and try to be, but with my German/Welsh/Irish/Native American heritage -I would never be the magazine ideal.

Over the years, I've become much better about loving myself the way I am. It was not an easy or simple process, considering the pressure most women feel to become the ideal picture of western beauty, but it's better than it used to me. Sometimes I think as we get a little older, its a little easier to feel comfortable in the skin that you're in. However, it may not be the same for everyone.

As I was wrapping up lifting free weights the other day, a woman in her 20's or 30's rushed in to say hello to another person working out there as well. As she came through the door, she thrust a magazine in the face of her friend and exclaimed, " Here, see this? This is want I want to look like!" as she pointed to the photo of a model in an exercise magazine.

After she left, I asked the other person, "Does she understand that no matter how good the models look, that they always airbrush them to look better?" The person replied, " I know that, but I'm not sure she was aware of that."

Humans have a tendency to work and strive towards the ideal, for perfection or what we happen to perceive as perfection at the moment. It's sad though, that when I was a teen and this woman at the gym use unfair and biased standards to compare themselves to. Health and wellness are well and good, but an obsession to be something you can't, is well, crazy.

To the people striving to be what they see in magazine ads and TV commercials, please understand that what you are seeing is NOT reality. Take care of your body, mind and spirit; but don't strive towards a goal that is purely fictional.

Being pretty truly has more to do with the attitude and character exemplified by each individual and less to do with their size and beauty products applied to their face. What huge changes could occur if people were willing to live out lives of "pretty does" instead of "pretty wears"?

If this shift in the perspective on beauty could happen, we all would have a voice to become catalysts and promoters of real beauty.

For more information on the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty click here!

SWB: Claustrophobia and clearings

Mary Lue shared her host post on business and rest for this weeks Sleeping with Bread Examen. Her words resonated with me in the fact that due to a significant staff change at my office, there is more work to be done and my plate is feeling fuller lately. There have been more meetings, and lots of talking and planning. For the most part, I've felt much more connected to people since I've become more involved in this way, but oddly when I'm done for the day or night - I find myself in need of some quiet. Maybe I'm still sorting and planning in the back of my mind, but silence (even my own) is something I find myself being more and more drawn too. It's like the extra noise, both internal and external, makes me feel claustrophobic . A few days after Christmas, I went into a game store with my son and was overwhelmed by all the noise and activity there. The store was tiny but filled with kids and their parents vying for their video game of choice. My head felt hot, my

Sunny and rainy day friends

There are two kinds of friends in the world: Sunny day friends and rainy day friends. This is a statement that my Mom used to remind me of when I was in the midst of drama or conflict with one school friend of another. There are lots of people that we define as friends, but they are really acquaintances. Two men were out hunting in the northern U.S. Suddenly one yelled and the other looked up to see a grizzly charging them. The first started to frantically put on his tennis shoes and his friend anxiously asked, "What are you doing? Don't you know you can't outrun a grizzly bear?" "I don't have to outrun a grizzly. I just have to outrun you!" This story is funny, but it does help define the distinct difference between a rainy day friend and a sunny day friend. The sunny-day-friend is more concerned with watching out for their own health and wellness, than their friends' wellbeing. On the other hand, a rainy day friend is willing to take risks, work fo

What Summer Camp Means to Me...

I was around six-years-old when I first went to sleep-away summer camp. At the time I lived in PA and the camp (through my church) was in Ohio. All school year, I attended Sunday School faithfully partially because regular attendance allowed my family scholarships to help with the cost of Summer Camp. Over the school year, I attended most Sunday's and by the end of the year, my little coupon book was full of stamps - providing me with a scholarship to attend a camp session. I provide this background on how I first got to go to camp, because it is an essential part of explaining what Summer Camp meant (and means) to me. Going away to Summer Camp gave me a whole new experience of community. The whole process of going to and attending was the first times I experienced, "it takes a village", personally. From the Sunday School Teachers who drove a sedan full of kids to Ohio, to the counselors and staff who supported new campers: through the first 48 hours of homesickness

Uphill idealist

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