Beauty

Runa and I have been watching the NYX beauty awards.  It is a competition where makeup artists prepare tutorials based on a theme and the internet votes for their favorites.  In each round a smaller number of artists go through.  It is amazing to watch the talents of these men and women and their thoughtfulness of their art.  The first theme was beauty through the ages and it really inspired some amazing makeups where people played with ideas of ancestors and the changing ideas of beauty.  The final challenge was about showing your colors and the artists took this as an opportunity to talk about facing fears, celebrating your roots, surviving adversity and the power of being real and comfortable in your own skin.

Raising girls, this is something I am very aware of the example I am setting everyday.  I am trying to ensure that they see lots of versions of beautiful and see this as the mutable concept that it is.  I really appreciate what I am learning about indiginaity, both the acceptance of the self outside of the christianized view (it always auto capitalizes that which makes me cross;)  Even my computer is biased.) and the extension of beauty from a focus on the young body, to one that is both inclusive of the inner person and the older person.  I was happy to see this article about this Cree woman winning among the sea of blond hair.  Don't forget that you are beautiful and you can play.  Maybe the cracks are what is letting the light in.