I looked at the card and shoved it in my wallet. A recruiter for a local modeling agency was trying to convince me to pursue a career in the industry. I smiled at the woman and said, “I’ll think about it.” then walked away.
I was seventeen or eighteen years old at this time. I wasn’t interested in a modeling career at this point because basketball and sports ruled my time. I was an athletic sports girl, not a fashion model.
I didn’t put another thought into the modeling scene until I graduated from high school.
I started to get curious. With the cautious approval of my parents I decided to send a few pictures into one of the agencies that had previously given me a card.
I received a quick reply back with a request to book an interview as soon as possible. “Yay! They like my pictures. They must think I’m pretty.” I thought to myself. I booked the appointment and before I knew it I found myself sitting across the desk from the owner of the company.
The owner quickly explained to me how rare it is to get a private interview. He said that they normally send everyone to their modeling audition but were making a special exception for me.
His attitude didn’t sit well with me. He made me feel like I should be grateful to even have the opportunity to be considered. I was losing interest quickly.
Let’s just say the interview went downhill from that point on.
I left His office with a confirmation in my mind that I never wanted to pursue a modeling career. I decided I liked eating, liked keeping my clothes on and didn’t want to be treated like an object.
Looking back, I am so grateful that my parents counseled me against it and encouraged me to pursue a different path. You can read a little more about where God directed my path on the Meet Us page.
Are pretty faces worth more?
It was around the time of the modeling interview that I started seriously asking myself that question, “Are pretty faces worth more?” In my heart I knew what the Bible said about beauty, how it passes with time, how God looks at the heart etc. etc. etc., but I was feeling the pressures of the culture. I was being fed a different message every time I stepped foot outside the door.
On one hand I had the Bible and on the other hand I had the ever intruding messages from billboards, clothing stores, makeup shops, music videos, celebrities and Hollywood telling me that “pretty faces” are more valuable. They get the attention, they get the guys, they get the looks, they get the comments…therefore they must be more valuable.
What I’ve learned.
I want to share with you my current thoughts on this question “Are pretty faces worth more?” My hope is that you can learn to recognize the lies, choose to reject them, and then understand and believe the truth.
I want to share with you the biggest lie we as young women believe and I want to share with you the truth that can truly set you free!
Lie – Your worth is based on your beauty and your accomplishments.
Sadly this is the lie we are being fed over and over again. We are being told that our value and worth comes from within us. We have to measure up to the standards of others in order to be valuable and happy. Wrong!
I love this quote by Gwen Smith which says:
“Some girls find identity and worth in their athletic abilities —but what happens when she loses it? A girl might find her identity in having a boyfriend—but what happens when they breakup? See where I am going with this? None of these things last. They just aren’t reliable. Our identity is not found in what we do or who we are with. It’s found in who Christ is and what HE has already done for us.”
She nails it!
Our source of worth and value can’t come from within us because it won’t last. When it runs out, fades, breaks, then what? Does our worth diminish with it? It only makes sense for our worth to come from something outside of ourselves. That brings us to the truth.
Truth – Your worth has nothing to do with you and everything to do with God.
Jesus Christ is the best news for us as young women. He helps us to see who we are without Him (sinners on our way to Hell) and who are with Him (saved by the Grace of God). He gives us the answer to worth and He gives us His value that doesn’t fade with time or talent.
He gives us HIS worth.
“What I do know is this: because of Jesus Christ, I’m a woman of highest worth. Not because of anything else. I’m a grace girl. Not perfect by a long stretch. I’ve been changed by the unconditional love of God and restored to perfect beauty through the shed blood of Jesus. Because of love, we are His daughters, precious in His sight. In light of this, we need to set aside feelings that diminish our value, and embrace our proper identity: Child of the King of Kings.” -Gwen Smith
Understanding this truth has completely changed my life. I don’t have to measure up to a certain man or woman’s standards of beauty. I don’t have to be as beautiful as a supermodel to have value. I don’t have to have the perfect Cover Girl skin. My worth isn’t based on anything I can do. It’s based on who Jesus is and what He has already done for me.
Now that is freeing!
The next time you ask yourself the question “Are pretty faces worth more?” remind yourself of this simple truth: Your worth has nothing to do with you and everything to do with God.
That simple statement has the power to completely change the course of your life. It’s completely changed mine.
Think it through…
- Have you bought into the lie that your worth is based on your beauty and your accomplishments?
- Why do you feel pressured to measure up?
- How can you apply this truth to your life? “Your worth has nothing to do with you and everything to do with God.”
- If you truly believed that and lived it out, how would it change your life?
Photo credit: www.flickr.com | laura dye
