I gulped, listened, and reflected.
I can say honestly that my initial response was a positive one. I thought, "Good for her. As a mom, she's making sure her daughter has a grounded concept of beauty."
But, as the days went by and I looked in the mirror, I began to ask myself some questions:
How natural is natural? How much virtue is there in it? Am I confident enough about my own beauty to "go natural"? Does this mother somehow connect good grooming with being artificial? Am I really someone to warn your daughter about?
I don't color or chemically process my hair and I wear very little make up, but, I can't quite get myself to leave the house without my hair looking (in my opinion) decent and a little color on my face.
I'm not someone who wears make up to bed. Maybe that's why I associate the lack of it with intimacy. My husband sees me with my hair a mess and without anything on my face and loves what he sees. (At least that's what he tells me!)
I suppose I have pretty nice skin (most days) and probably don't need to wear foundation. In fact, there have been times I've headed out and realized that I forgot to put some on after my moisturizer... but, that doesn't mean I think there's virtue in NOT wearing it.
I personally like a polished (but, not artificial) look. I delight in and respect women who take time to care for themselves - just as I delight in seeing a spotlessly clean house, a sparkling dining table and a well-manicured garden. Knowing that someone took the time to look nice for a meeting with me is special and shows a degree of respect (it also means they had the time and cared enough to make the effort). That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy conversation in a friend's messy house with diapers and kids everywhere, a walk through a disheveled garden or a meal at a simply set table. Some of my most meaningful experiences have been in settings where the aesthetics were a little out of sorts. I can also (genuinely) enjoy coffee (and deep, meaningful conversation) with someone who looks like she just crawled out of bed.
How people or places "look" is NOT important, but, if they are beautiful in our opinion, then it brings added aesthetic delight.
When it comes to polish and grooming, our concepts of what is beautiful vary.
Maybe it's all about time and effort, but, listening to my friend, I reflected on the fact that she may actually see the "natural (somewhat disheveled) look" as being beautiful - or more virtuous - the way I have (for example) sometimes preferred the look of natural wood over stained...
But, one could argue about preservation and which can withstand the elements better... in some situations - the natural; in others - the polished.
Just another thought on life's conceptions of beauty...
What do YOU think?
