Women's Value Isn't in Looks

I was in a hospital waiting room the other day, and the TV was stuck on a daytime talk show aimed at women. The subject was ladies need a certain bathing suit -- starting at $80 -- to make their figures more pleasing to the eye. "Sure, there's some padding," oozed one of the guests. "But it sure beats plastic surgery, doesn't it?"

Then came a commercial demanding the women work out like marathon runners to get in shape -- now! I don't know the name of the show and don't care. I was just astounded by the verbal assaults on women.

There was a commercial that basically said, "Hey lady, you stink! You need this kind of deodorant." Of course, you also need this special mouthwash, because your breath is enough to topple the Terminal Tower. Drop weight but get a bigger chest. Buy clothes you really don't want because you don't want to look like a blob -- do you? And your hair . . . darling . . . you've got to do something with that! Looks like you've got a family of eagles living there.

There also were commercials about how to handle headaches, heartburn and stomach problems. Dare I mention Preparation H or some female unmentionables that are constantly mentioned on daytime TV?

Watch this stuff for a while, and it's amazing every woman doesn't feel totally overwhelmed, utterly inferior and on the verge of neurosis.

Why? Because TV tells women: No one will ever love you unless you color your hair, throw out your clothes and eat nothing but seaweed until 2009.

Why write about this on the faith page?¹ Because women are under attack -- and it seems most of it is coming from other women. Far more than men, women are telling you that you're too fat or too thin. Too short or too tall. You look too young or too old.

The Bible says in Psalm 139 that each of us is "fearfully and wonderfully made." But a commercial screams back, "Not in those shoes."

Ladies, here's a secret: Guys aren't looking at your shoes unless you happen to be in heels so high, you keep falling over. Guys don't care about women's shoes. Guys don't talk about women's shoes. Or purses. Want to waste some time? Ask a guy, "What do you think of my purse?" At best, you'll get a grunt or a yawn.

Ladies, give it a rest. Tell the fashion police and plastic surgeons and everyone else who wants to destroy your self-esteem -- well, tell them to shove it. Use Proverbs 31:30: "Charm is deceptive, beauty is fleeting, but a woman who loves and fears the Lord is to be praised." When will we ever hear a commercial for that?

God made us special. Why else would every person have different fingerprints, voiceprints and DNA? In the end, people will either accept us -- or they won't. Who does your nails has absolutely nothing to do with it.

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Copyright © 2004 Akron Beacon Journal.
¹Excerpted from Terry Pluto's Everyday Faith newspaper column. Used with permission.

Photo by Markus Biehal: www.westausgang.de.