Beautiful Creatures

I am excited to be presenting, for the first time, as keynote speaker for a women’s organization I have been part of for nearly four years. Indeed this is an unexpected honor to share my expertise to a group of 50+ business women and men in the North Metro. When asked, I enthusiastically said yes! Wonderful, here is your topic: External Beauty.

Huh. Of all the topics I could speak on, ‘external beauty’ would fall dead last (to be clear, I was invited to speak because of my education in cosmetology). I don’t think I’m unusual by saying I have a complicated relationship with the concept of beauty. For one thing, I’ve never thought of myself as particularly pretty, because I’ve never been thought of as such by most people. I’m not being coy; it is my truth growing up in Minnesota as a minority. As an adult I am comfortable in my own skin and value my body mainly for its amazing abilities, (Seeing out of my eyes! Hearing out of my ears! Using my legs to walk or dance!) but not for any decorative aesthetics.

My definition of beautiful is blonde and curvaceous. Maybe yours is brunette. I have talked to countless women over the years as a hairstylist and make-up artist and it’s almost always the same. None of us think of ourselves as beautiful, we are always hung up on something: our weight, our height, the shape of our nose or some other such ridiculous thing, that most of the time we cannot control.

As I grow older and accept that time is going to diminish my physical attributes, I have thought less and less about my outward self and instead choose to worry about and put energy into my inner self. My inner self (my mind, my character, my heart) are things that not only I can control, but can improve over time. This helps me to grow as a person, and shakes off some insecurities and focus about my looks.

I’m not completely about my “inner self” either. I use some of the most expensive eye cream available and I take great care to how I dress and style my hair. I make an effort to make my appearance pleasant because I feel more confident when doing so. As a professional, it is the confidence I strive to bring out in women, not a physical ideal that we are trained to believe in from airbrushed magazines and Hollywood films. This kind of beauty is heavily manufactured and simply doesn’t exist in real life.

So next week I will be presenting on External Beauty, mainly in the vein of educating how to be a well-informed consumer. The “beauty industry” is like many others, the efficacy is based on grades of ingredients, formulation and the science of how it interacts with the body.

In my 15 years plus of being in the trade I’ve used various product lines and equipment, tried every technique available, and I will tell you what I’ve discovered that will make a woman beautiful. Every. Single. Time. It is not the perfect shade of lipstick, or the expensive eye cream, or the dress you wish you could afford.

What is beautiful? Having a clever mind to examine life, a compassionate heart to love others, and the courage to be true.

Please join me at the next Working With Women on Wednesday March 23rd from 9:15-10:45 at Rasmussen College (Blaine Campus). Working With Women is a networking group dedicated to educating women in business, making connections and strengthening community.