A while back, my daughter and I were hanging out in the make-up section of a local store. If I remember right, we were looking for some fingernail polish.
We couldn't find the perfect color and were about to leave when I noticed my daughter in the Cover Girl section. She was looking up at an Ad and asked: "Mom, how do they get so beautiful?"
Her question caught me off guard. And I realized that in that moment, she was beginning to question what made her beautiful and would she ever be 'like those girls in the Ads' ...
I thought for a moment and said: "Lauren, please know that YOU are beautiful just the way you are."
I wanted to go into all the facts about the Ads - how they are air brushed, changed, edited and so forth - but didn't.
Instead, we talked (right there in the store about ALL the things that made her beautiful) - and it had nothing to do with make-up, gorgeous clothes or sultry looks!
My hope is that she will continue to see and appreciate that her true beauty comes from being- kind, smart, funny, artistic and true to the things she knows to be right and good!
PS:
I think the main point here is to appreciate the 'beauty' that each of us naturally possess and to focus on being beautiful inside and out!
It's just not healthy to compare ourselves to a Cover Girl model! After all, comparison is the thief of joy! :)
