The Girls with the Fake Eyelashes

When I was in junior high, I used to curl my bangs. Like a perfect, little roll -
straight across my forehead - held in place with one too many squirts of hair spray.
It was so bad that a friend who knew me only from college once stated: "Man, you really
grew into your cuteness!" when a picture of the "turd" bangs was viewed.

And the truth is, people MADE FUN of me here and there or would try and stick
objects in my rolled bangs. I did not care. I mean, I thought about it all -
and obviously took some of it to heart... as I'm blogging about it centuries later,
but it didn't make me change anything. Partly because I was stubborn.
Mostly because I had enough confidence to sink a ship.

It's funny the things we remember; the things we allow to tattoo themselves upon our hearts.
I like to think that I'm STRONGER than I am. Woman of steel. Hear me roar. Knock me or my friends,
and I'll knock you back. Part truth, part facade - due to the deadly combination of being
"oldest born" and choleric.

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
-Proverbs 18:21
"You are fluffy." || age 8

"You have caterpillar eyebrows." || age 15

Words that were spoken over me by people who will not be named.
Why did these words stick while others just rolled like water off a duck's back?

I see so many expressions of discontent and inadequacy on the faces of women everywhere.
She looks down, she looks away, she wishes, she watches, she tries, fails, gives up...
Someone cover her?
Anyone?

I love how so very often on social media girl #1 will post a picture of herself and then
girl #2 through #4872 comments:

"Your hair! Tell me all your secrets!"

"Your make-up... I must know what you are wearing!"

"You're gorgeous. Give me your hair."

And so on and so forth until it becomes downright redundant and slightly ridiculous.

More often than not, girl #1 comes clean and tells her fan club that her golden locks
are mostly extensions and that no mascara on planet earth can beat the va-va-voom
of fake eyelashes, that she all but admits to wearing.

Images, ideas, words - a social media whirlwind that sweeps up your average girl
and spins a web of LIES concerning what TRUE BEAUTY is, should be, better be, or else...

no one may like you, want you, or see you.

We are HARD on ourselves as women. Naturally drawing things "within" ourselves -
holding all the details and memories like a bowl of spaghetti in our brains.

Drop the spaghetti and "be your own kind of beautiful" today and always?!


Not every girl out there has the COURAGE,
but I want you to look at the face, the hair, the body God gave you in the mirror
right now and KNOW, know so well, that every detail is NOT lost on your Maker.

And I am applauding, standing ovation kind of thing, the gift of beauty you have
been given. No one has your exact combination of skin tone, bone structure,
hair + eye color, nose + lip size... so go tell the social media, advertising agencies
all about THAT fact.

Encourage, embellish, define, highlight, FRAME the beauty of YOU today.
And share the (( heart )) of this message with someone else - cover them with me?



XO