Gen. 1:26-27 AMP
God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Gen. 5:1-2 AMP
God created man; He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them
James 1:23-24 AMP
A man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror; for he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.
These passages of scripture have overwhelmed me because they are the answers we need to provide to our young daughters, our female friends, our female relatives and to ourselves. Now this sickness of re-doing a job that has already been done is crossing over to the men so they too must be given these answers.
It begins early
As a little girl I used to look in the mirror and wish that my nose was pointier (looked more like a white persons). My Grandmother, mother, father, sister or brothers had what I considered a white nose. I wanted to be skinnier (I already looked like a poster child for Indonesians). I wanted to be browner; being light was not the thing. Being called high yellow, red, and white anything but a black I felt ugly. I was not told in my home that I was pretty, cute or beautiful. A curse lived with me in my early years and it manifested itself through my mother’s anger. She made sure that I was reminded how white, red or yellow I was and that I was ugly. (Thank YOU, GOD for YOUR Salvation and Deliverance)
Every day I would pinch my nose and hope that it would remain pointy. At age nine my Grandmother, my mother’s mother had an attraction to a man who is in the Nation of Islam. For the first time I was told that I was black, (surprise, I’m black). Now I know that I’m a black person and we come in all shades (should have known that since both of my Grandmothers were very light, my family on my dad’s side are all very light). Oh yes, I not only had a problem with the way I look, but I had a problem with browner toned people because I wanted to be one and I was not accepted well. In the house out the house I caught it. My sister is light, why didn’t anyone bother her?
Anyway I began to notice more that people were concentrating on the fact that I have natural arched eye brows, big unscarred legs and a large behind. Kim Kardassian you were not the first honey. Now the attention is just too much and I begin to cover up. I’m secure in my skin tone, I still want a pointy nose, but people keep talking about my beautiful eyes, legs and bum. I’m not used to this and my self esteem is in the toilet.
I thought as I grew up that I will have plastic surgery so that my bum will look like Twiggy’s (a top notched model of the 60’s) Beverly Johnson (another top notched model of the 70’s) anyone who’s bum does not stick out as mine does. I’ll have my nose worked on so that I can look more like members of my family with their cute noses. Then I notice, my Grand-dad and I have the same nose and so do my aunts, uncles and cousins. We are all very light with the same noses. Okay I can live with it; it shows I belong to this family. But my bum and legs are still an issue. Wear looser and longer clothes. That’s the fix, and my insecurities will remain my lifelong secret. Just between me and me.
Salvation and Deliverance Comes
Now I’ve been set free from this foolishness and I love me. Excuse me while I give myself a hug and kiss and tell myself that I love me. What a feeling, I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14) there is nothing I can do to improve what GOD has already done with my looks. GOD designed me to look this way for a purpose, who am I to re-touch perfection.
We need to tell our children and all we come in contact with that the images we see on television and magazines are not real. Even they try to look like the images they portray. You have heard of them going to plastic surgeons, haven’t you?
I challenge you to write down how many times you have seen a particular model/actress/entertainer advertise any type of product that will help you in the area of hair, make-up or weight. Then go to the stores and count the many products that made promises to work wonders on what- ever area only to come out with another product that is new and improved.
The Ad people work on our insecurities and we perform just as we are told or think we have to because of our own low self esteem issues. I am grateful that my skin is very sensitive and I can’t wear make-up because I maybe just one of the many thousands doing just what the advertisements want me to do, go buy. I’m not saying gain all the weight you want and care less, if you are overweight then sure do something about it, you did not get this way in one day and you should not look for that quick fix to solve the problem.
I’m not saying stop wearing make-up, but isn’t make-up supposed to give you a natural look? Less is more, more is being a clown. Dress and walk in your comfort of who GOD designed you to be. Love yourself, because GOD definitely loves you. Besides it’s not the outer you that you should be concerned with it’s the inner man. For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure. Matthew 23:27 AMP