Let’s talk about valuing beauty…

I have worked in the body image space for some time now. What comes up time and time again is an inner friction that women experience between wanting to care about beauty and not wanting to care so much about it. I find that there have been a lot of perspectives recently on de-centring how much value we place on external beauty. And yes, it’s true that beauty and its definition have been grossly manipulated and defined in very narrow terms (ie. the skinny ideal). However, as women, many of us are lovers of beauty. There is a genuine appreciation of beauty that speaks deeply to the feminine within. This appreciation of beauty has been exploited by various industries so that women and our bodies can be controlled.

So how do we regain our power back from this? I don’t believe that it lies in pretending or forcing oneself not to care about external beauty, as this may go against our very nature. I believe it comes down to recognising what beauty is. Why we value it so much. Expanding its narrow meaning into a much wider whole. Engaging in beauty rituals that feel wholesome, nourishing and fulfilling, rather than restricting calories to manage weight. There is much to be explored in this space of redefining and reconnecting with beauty that does not have to involve controlling weight or diminishing how much we value beauty. There is a middle ground. There are ways to engage with and appreciate external beauty AND not place pressure on it having to look only one way. It’s a topic that I love to explore in my therapy space and one that continues to expand in my own personal life and relationship to beauty.