Inner Beauty: How to Create a More Beautiful You and Beauty Quotes

Copyright @ Angeline Oppenheimer

Big bosom, full pouty lips, thick and long eye-lashes, kohl-defined eyes, clear skin and a lean frame--fill in the blanks--there are more--mile-long legs, chiseled arms--but I think I'll stop here. The beauty industry thrives on it and cosmetic surgery is on the rise. There are Botox parties, diet meal parties and spa trips with girlfriends to attain this form of beauty. It's alluring; it boosts your self-image and makes you more desirable. That's it--it's all a quest of making oneself more attractive and desirable. Is it crime? Certainly not. Is it superficial--this pursuit of outward beauty? Depends on who you talk to. The world has a beauty paradigm--not all will agree with it, but it does tout certain qualities that may seem unattainable for those who are less endowed, whether in terms of facial features, body image or size.

So what do you do, if you're the less-perceived beauty of the world? Your nose is too big, your mouth too small, your skin speckled with zits, your arms too flabby, your rear end too droopy? I say, fight back. Forget all the hype and emphasis on outward beauty. Instead, nurture the inner beauty that glows from inside out. You don't need cash, or the particular expert or the exorbitant range of cosmetics--you are your own expert and when you manage to tap into this inner strength, you're irresistible. Take it from sages of old and some not so old. Here's some advice.

True Beauty

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. ~Kahlil Gibran

She may have the face of an angel, the figure of Miss America but if what comes out of her mouth is crude or base or if she exhibits selfishness or snobbiness, she may be transformed from a beauty to a misshappening beast. A heart filled with kindness, consideration, love, humility and generosity shines through. What‘s more?—you don’t have to keep up appearances, these qualities naturally come out. Instead of just focusing on outward characteristics, grow some values and watch the inner beauty unfold.

Want another quote to buoy this point?

Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Joy

Joy is the best make-up ~ Anne Lamott

Make-up can only do so much. Under the layers of colors, hues and tricks—a stressed, unhappy face remains a canvas just holding up a front. But you don’t want to be just a canvas of colors—you want to shine. You want to highlight the make-up, not the other way round. What’s the magic ingredient? JOY---be happy and your face will reflect the glory of a life at peace with the world. And with yourself.

Attitude

Beauty - in projection and perceiving - is 99.9% attitude. ~Grey Livingston

They say attitude is everything and they are right—yes, school with its attitude maxims, your mother with her attitude pep talk and maybe, your boss at work. If you think you’re beautiful, chances are nobody is going to argue with you. Why? It will show in the way you carry and project yourself. We’re not talking cockiness. We’re talking about a sense of self-assuredness, one who is happy with what she has (even if it doesn’t fit into the world’s dictionary of beauty)—now, that can be powerful and alluring.

One more beauty quote for good measure?

Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful ~ Sophia Loren

Loved and Beautiful

Do I love you because you're beautiful,
Or are you beautiful because I love you?
~Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Cinderella

What comes first? You’re loved because you’re beautiful or you’re beautiful because you’re loved? It can happen both ways but the second scenario presents a hopeful possibility. Love is the miracle glow—the happy recipient will sparkle. If you’ve been loved, you know what that means. And if you’re languishing in a state of “unlovedness,” don’t despair, find someone to love you or why wait? Shower your love on someone today and feel the power of your love.

Old and Beautiful

You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your soul's own doing. ~Marie Stopes

Is it possible to be old and beautiful? According to the above quote, absolutely! If you’ve spent time cultivating inner beauty, it only grows more beautiful with age. You don’t have to fear the ravages of time and what it can do to your face and body--wrinkles, turkey neck, sagging folds of skin--yikes?.Not so. Inner beauty is like aged wine.

Don’t Try Too Hard

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ~ Margaret Wolfe Hungerford

We’re heard that often but that doesn’t cheapen its profound meaning. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there’s hope for everyone. Someone, somewhere will find you beautiful. Just be yourself—you don’t have to try too hard and risk being a phony. Just be yourself, you’re beautiful in your own special way.

God Doesn’t Make Junk

Beauty... is the shadow of God on the universe. ~Gabriela Mistral, Desolacíon

If you are not convinced and still think you’re one ugly specimen, just think-- would God make junk? Given His ample resources, would He? Even a twisted tree is beautiful in a gnarly kind of way. Giraffes have big fat spots, yet they’re uniquely beautiful and have you seen the Naked Mole Rat? Ok, it’s a burrowing rodent with a scrunched up face and slit-like eyes. Still, it’s cute in its own funky way. You’re uniquely formed and you are beautiful in your own way, you just need to look for your positives and negate your negatives.

Having said all that, there’s nothing wrong with trying to make yourself beautiful on the outside. Just know that while you’re polishing the outside, don’t forget the inside. After all, it’s the inside that holds your true being.