"Suffer for Beauty"

My Grandma was a trained beautician in her youth, and I grew up enjoying her hair cuts and perms and such. When I would get frustrated at sitting for long periods of time while she fussed with curls in my hair or whatever, she'd say "suffer for beauty!"



For a long time, I thought that this was terrible advice. I mean, I like pretty clothes and shoes and purses and looking nice. But I am a very au naturel, non-fussy girl. Why in the world would I give up minutes of precious sleep to spend it flat ironing my hair and putting toxic product in it? (Commence with the hippie jokes) Requisites for my hair cut is that it can't take an hour to do every morning, because I won't. I know I won't. I've made the mistake of getting hair cuts like that, and I just look terrible most of the time. You'd think if I cared that I looked like poo, I'd care enough to do it, but no, sleep is more important in this stage of my life.

My views on this have somewhat changed...I think it's good to look nice and it's polite to present yourself well. I had some strange ideas that wearing make up or doing my hair was like putting on a mask, rather than enhancing your pleasant points and drawing attention away from your less pleasant ones. I'm at a stage in my life where I am not totally happy with how I look, but I don't feel insecure, just motivated to do better because I know I can. And I know my husband appreciates it when I put effort into my appearance. Still, though, suffering for it (unless exercise counts) is not really on my radar. And that's ok, no need to get all ascetic about everything. ;)

I was tending to my little garden today, and her words came back to me. And suddenly I realized the profundity of Grandma's statement. I realized that she wasn't attempting to justify the 'torture' of smelly curlers in my hair, but noting that beauty is worth effort.

Some things are beautiful totally naturally. This doesn't mean no energy or effort goes into it, but when the Lord paints a sunset, we don't really do anything to make it so--it doesn't require extra effort on our part.

Other things that are worth having do require effort, and sometimes are incredibly costly. Creating beauty is one of God's most pleasurable characteristics that that we enjoy, and I believe we are meant to do the same. Not just as image-bearers, but we are called to beauty--a beautiful heart is a humble heart, for instance. Beauty is treasured in every culture in some fashion (even if what defines beauty is different), and God certainly seems to treasure it as well.

I wonder if that is why one of the most twisted things in our culture involve our beauty standards and projections. That is a different topic for a different day, perhaps.

Excellence always comes with a price. Anything worth doing is worth doing well, anything worth having is worth the hard work it takes to have it. True beauty is costly, too. An artist does not pick up a paintbrush for the first time one day and create a timeless masterpiece. A dancer does not walk onto stage with no training and perform feats of grace and strength equal to Baryshnikov or Graham. The beauty I am trying to create in my garden doesn't happen with a leisurely hour one afternoon. There are weeds to pull and plants to water.

Inner beauty doesn't happen with a random decision one day. It is a cultured pearl, a pressure-made diamond. A friend of mine has a quote in her journal, "beauty will save the world". I think she is right. Beauty educate, moves, inspires, realizes, imparts knowledge and subtlety, requires discipline and effort, and brings people together. Beauty holds profound truths, and wraps them in such a way that we can endure the starkness of the truth. After all, how much more beautiful and precious was Christ's sacrifice? Beauty will change the world, because Love itself is beautiful, and the works Love produces are beauty itself.

Beauty is well worth the effort it takes, for it enlightens and enriches us. What is life without sunsets? Music? Art? Empty. Selfish. Beauty isn't created for beauty's sake, or for the beauty-maker to enjoy alone. Beauty is a way to share love and joy with the world while bettering ourselves in the process. Suffer a little lost pride and gain some beautiful humility. Suffer a little time and gain a new skill. Suffer a little hard work and run a marathon. You and those around you will be the better for it.