by LifeBliss Lisa

I have my own ideas about what beauty is and what beauty isn’t.  I’ve talked about carefree sensuality and the importance of comfort and confidence.  I continue to notice that the most beautiful women are the ones who are not obsessing about it all day long, every day, but the ones who take the time to do themselves up, and then forget about it.  I came across a great article in Beauty Redefined that describes the root of this phenomenon best:

(Girls) are raised from our earliest memories to believe our happiness, success, ability to be loved, and confidence come almost exclusively from how we appear to others.

This passage immediately brought up mental images of women who fit the standard media-defined beauty, walking nervously, shoulders up to their ears, butt cheeks clenched tightly together, constantly pulling, tugging, and adjusting their clothing right in the middle of some ridiculously fun mayhem and debauchery.  I see these women as going through the motions and not authentically living life.

It can be a challenge for some of us to just relax and let our hair down without worry.  In order to be able to do this, you must already believe that you are beautiful.  If there is a self esteem issue, that needs to be dealt with in the first place.  Otherwise, you can train your eye over time to recognize your real beauty.  It’s important to be able to differentiate between glam beauty, fake celebrity beauty, and the beauty that just comes naturally.  Can you tell the difference?