This post is part of the Beauty of a Woman BlogFest VI! To read more entries, and potentially win a fun prize, visit the fest page on August’s McLaughlin’s site between today, March 6 and 11pm PST March 11th.
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." — John Keats
I've been thinking a lot about truth lately...And I am probably not the only one... In an age when words and phrases like "truthiness" and "alternate facts" have been coined, we find ourselves pondering the meaning of words like truth. I believe we know, deep down, when things are true, in the same way we know when things (and people) are beautiful. It is an innate sense humans have.
So what makes a person beautiful? Honesty. I don't mean that a woman can't wear makeup, dye her hair, or even have plastic surgery, if she desires that. I am talking about the difference between being who you are—and you know who that is—and being something that other people or "society" tell you you should be.
I don't know you, so I have no idea who in your life is trying to alter the way you speak, believe, move, look, love, or even make love. But, unfortunately, if you are a woman, I can almost guarantee that someone is.
So, what to do?
Not everyone is cut out to be a rebel or an activist. But each person in this world can take a stand for their true selves, even if it is simply holding fast—continuing to believe what they believe, or love who they love, in the face of oppression and hatred. And, who knows? Perhaps taking that internal stand will lead her to express herself or resist in another more tangible way, or help another woman to do so, and that is how worldwide change begins. As the saying goes "Well-behaved women seldom make history."
And remember, if people in your life are embarrassed, appalled, or upset by who you are, or how you choose to act, then it is time to think hard about whether they are supporting your true potential, or if they are trying to mold you into their idea of who you should be.
Be your true self and be a truly beautiful woman.
hasta pronto!