Did you know the average woman will spend $15,000 on makeup in her lifetime according to a video by Money, and the Global Cosmetics Industry reported it expects the U.S. beauty sector to rise from $80 Billion (today) to $90 Billion by the year 2020? But, did you know that beauty is really just average? It’s true. While some of us struggle to get our Facebook photo to appear like the attractive, fit people seen on T.V., we should really be striving for the girl/boy-next-door look, based on the findings from a study out of the University of Texas, Austin. In their Beauty is Averageness study, Langlois et al. merged pictures of faces starting with two images up to as many as thirty-two different images. When the merged pictures were shown to different college test groups, the combined composite images were rated significantly higher than the individual images. Langlois et al. concluded that an averaged appearance is considered more attractive.
Does that mean I’ll toss my makeup bag in the trash? Not likely. But, knowing that run-of-the-mill beauty can trump the overdone, photo-shopped, supermodel look takes some of the pressure off. It turns my attention to what actually matters – inner beauty.
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” – 1 Peter 3:3-4
In my current manuscript, the main character, Georgia, starts off with a forceful personality and through trials moves to a person who demonstrates more of the fruit of the spirit: peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control. It’s when the hero sees glimpses of this new life within Georgia that he falls in love with her. When I think of attractive people, I think of my close friend, Liz, who exonerates what I call a gentle spirit. She is beautiful on the outside too, but what wows me is her calm inner strength. She lives out the fruit of the spirit in her life, and it’s wondrously attractive.
Unfortunately, many people confuse a gentle spirit with a negative view that has been associated with the word meek. While Dictionary.com has one definition of meek as overly submissive, spiritless and tame, another is humbly patient, gentle and kind. It’s this second form of meek that is richly rewarded in heaven. Matthew 5:5 states “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” 1 Samuel 16:7 is straightforward about what God really values. “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” This reference flicks away all images and idols that pop culture has thrown in front of our eyes.
Outer beauty may be average, but inner beauty is exceptional.
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