via Daily Prompt: Elegant
It’s a fun thing to watch – Oscar or Grammy Awards night ! I’m always both amused and amazed by the spectacle of it. The mad dash of the beautiful people trying to out do each other in their designer fashions and runway outfits- it gets me laughing every time! The really good laughs come when you see ‘celebrity so and so ‘ wearing something that’s so complicated to wear that their get-up makes it difficult for them to even walk the runway ! All of the best named designers get millions of dollars in free advertising ; and the fashion industry has a real life infomercial to get people like us (normal folks) into a fantasy. They want to entice you and me into the fantasy world of being pretty or glamorous or anything but who we really are. I get it, believe me I do.
Every woman has her own definition of what pretty is. Every woman wants at least one moment of feeling absolutely gorgeous and glamorous if her budget will allow it. That’s why you see people dropping a fortune on a pair of shoes with a red bottom – ha,ha,ha,ha! The so called ‘beauty isles ‘ shelves are full of anti aging products and billions of dollars are spent on cosmetic surgery. There’s a woman somewhere who’s maxed out her credit card to buy the one purse that she had to have. I mean it was in Elle magazine right ?! So yes , the purse was definitely worth the money ! As for the rest of her bills that month , well she’ll just have to be late . Wait , what ?
I wish I had a tip for buying into the hair extensions stocks or all of the other things that make up the beauty market. I’d be a millionaire by now if I’d known to invest in the ‘big butt ‘ or ‘big lips ‘ market. From a African American woman who was ‘born this way ‘ – you can see how funny that is to me! Hmm , if only I could bottle my DNA and sell it…..No offense but I can’t help but laugh when I see the things used to be ‘a joking matter'(or an ethnic insult) become the things that people are paying good money to get ! Oh the money – scratch that – the billions that are spent on it: feeling like you’re a beautiful and glamorous woman .
The businessmen who run companies that sell beauty and glamour have got it all figured out. Theyve made inheritances for their children with what you (and I) want to see in the mirror !! Because of the worth the we put on the way we look- some people will pay any price . You want a smaller nose? Covered. You want to have a bigger butt and a flatter stomach ? It’s yours if you can afford it . I kid you not , some people have actually died of the ‘I wannabe more…’ disease . Women are literally dying to be pretty from the complications of cosmetic surgery . What a sad reality. Nevertheless the fact is that women (and even some men) will still risk their lives get a new look and feel better about themselves.
To sum it all up, the most precious commodity in the world is the beauty we want to see in the mirror . Hollywood and the rest of the entertainment industry in America have helped to drive the up the price of this manufactured beauty . Celebrity A is not what you see in your mirror and so there’s something wrong with you? Wrong. Yeah it’s perfectly normal to want to improve yourself and I agree that some improvements in life are necessary . You can buy almost anything you want to change, correct , enhance or beautify your appearance. But the one thing you won’t find on the rack at Macy’s or Nordstrom is true elegance .
You can get a Versace dress and a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes and hear someone say, “You look very elegant tonight , who are you wearing ? Who’s the designer of your dress doesn’t translate into an interest in who you are as a person . No, the true beauty and the true elegance of who you are – you could be wearing a pair of sweatpants and your elegance and beauty would still be on display. Because the truth of a beautiful person has nothing to do with the clothes that they wear . And elegance ? Well being elegant is a design that originates from within . You’ve been in the presence of someone who just stops conversations when they enter a room. These are the people that carry themselves gracefully and have quiet confidence that makes you wonder who they are not who they’re wearing . They are content with who they are – even if they bought their outfit from the consignment shop. This kind of elegance in a woman is not the bling they might wear but it’s the brightness of their spirit; and you can’t help but be drawn to them.
Truly elegant women are elegant with or without a fashion designer’s template. I know about it because that’s how my mom is – early in the morning , without any makeup. I hate to disappoint you but you can’t buy this type of elegance . You have to develop it by cultivating the best of what you already have. The truth is that I have it, you have it and we’ve been covering up our true elegance with a substitute in a mirror. Remember that even celebrities don’t look like celebrities when they’re not on camera ! Dare yourself to go look in your bathroom mirror (or wherever it is) and say ‘I am enough for me ‘. Focusing instead on the elegance of your spirit and not the brand names in your wardrobe !
Fashion trends will continue to change. You’ve got you for the rest of your life.
