We are making major strides collectively in our awareness of what beauty truly is i believe. But we still have a long way to go. The most dominating cultural beauty standards today still are the superficial ones. They always yell the loudest to us. But the loudest isn't usually the strongest.
Looks based beauty standards are like an ego virus that often hit the most vulnerable, which are usually kids, especially girls, and it starts there and takes the focus off of love and the real power we actually hold on beauty and life in general. This ego virus can then be carried on our whole lives distracting us from the Truth. It can mutate and grow into a very destructive reality. These beauty standards create a twisted idea of what we are capable of and what our self-worth is dependent upon. If we are focused on looks the most, we can't be too focused on opening our hearts, building a strong sense of character and integrity, or nurturing real connection with anyone either. And it's those things that we gain real power from. So the ego virus certainly erodes our personal power in many ways.
The Soul perspective is a perspective many young kids need to learn early, so as not to spend so much time equating only looks with beauty, putting themselves down, focusing on looks too much and hurting other kids with their criticism. It's hard to feel ok with yourself growing up if your friends, family, or society, are always reminding you that you aren't good enough with how you are naturally, or they always steer your weight or looks in general back into the conversation, when it's who you are deep down that should get most of the focus.
That doesn't always have to be the result of direct criticism either. Kids feel what others feel and pick up on subconscious beliefs around them. I don't mean i think it's a good idea to feed the ego empty compliments all the time, that is just as damaging. What i mean is, it's more important to feed some deeper sense of beauty and purpose to help arm them against going too far down the rabbit hole of insecurity and personal destruction over superficial things. It's much harder for a child to have a strong sense of self, and a discerning mind with things like this. So as adults, it's our responsibility to help set a new focus and a different perspective of beauty to share with the younger generations to adopt if they choose. This is how we spiritually vaccinate them from this virus. This vaccination has no side effects and it's effective for an effective future. You can't change everyone else around you, but you can cultivate a resilience to those things that may otherwise harm you and in doing so you do help strengthen others too.
Changing around the superficial physical standards for what beauty is will never fix or make anyone feel more beautiful or powerful, at least not on a deep, consistent level. Changing the superficial standards of beauty just transfers the cultural lie around to different things and different people. It only ever puts a band-aid on what is the core issue of the negative body image cancer. This "cancer" starts with a lack of true self power and awareness and is perpetrated by the continuation of that lack.
Aligning our dominant perspective of beauty and who we are to our soul perspective, is what changes everything. We can only "immunize" young minds so that the superficial and dis-empowering collective focus of beauty will not take over their overall focus, as they tread the rough terrain of life. But you can't prevent what you are unaware of. Awareness is the antidote to the ego virus.
We start with our own perspective changes first, supporting others to do the same.
Part of my life's mission, along with sharing this message to anyone who needs it, is to find ways to instill this "philosophy" earlier in people's minds, rather than realizing it after we spend 10 years or more undoing bad programming.
I am not saying there is anything wrong with being focused on appearance to an extent. It's part of living a physical life. I personally enjoy looking my best and feeling physically beautiful as much as the next person does. I also love appreciating other people's physical beauty and complimenting them on their beauty, but it's about the whole encompassing package of a person. Beauty is not just physical appearance. You could be gorgeous and not feel that way. You could be gorgeous and be told your not. But it doesn't change the Truth of what real beauty is and that you have it, and that you have the power to tap into it to any degree you want, if you choose.
So it starts with us individually becoming more aware of our soul self and experiencing that beauty. Then empowering our own new beauty standards that don't just require appearances only, but can include them. While we make good health more the focus, all while treating each other more kindly and compassionately. It's re-defining what real beauty truly requires of us. Real beauty is never found in criticizing, comparing or putting ourselves or someone else down.
Beauty is everywhere, in everyone, for everyone, just look for it. Start by looking within. There is an unlimited amount. We all have the power and potential to be beauty, to have beauty and to share beauty. Together, we transcend old, rigid, superficial cultural beauty standards. Then we create a new beauty standard in alignment with love. It's a standard that is potent, accessible, and freeing for everyone.