Tammi's World

Beauty

You men wanna know a secret? Hmmm?? Women worry about their appearance. Honestly they do. Even those that say they don't, they do. Even those that don't have to? They do.

And we talk about it. Amongst ourselves. And overall I don't think we're all completely happy with what we have to work with. Thanks to all the lovely cover models and the beauty tips and secrets that are always out there, most of us always come back feeling just a bit lacking.

I am not beautiful. Never have been, never will be. Oh - I'm not ugly. I know that - but I'm more than aware I don't not fit the cookie cutter mold of beauty.

When I was younger I modeled. Did mostly runway shows, but some catalogs and stills. I still catch myself explaining when I tell folks what I used to do - runway models don't have to be pretty. They have to be tall, thin and invisible. It's all about showing the clothes. And at 6'2" and 118 pounds I was nothing but a moving hanger. My hair hit my ass and could be styled anyway it needed to be - to show off the clothes. As long as you aren't butt ugly you can be a runway model. Simple enough.

After I got married I aged terribly. I put on enough weight that I no longer looked underfed, but didn't do anything with my hair (except cut it off) and never wore make up. The stress showed on my face. I looked old. Truth be told at 43 I look younger than I did at 25. Scary, isn't it, what life can do to you.

But a large part of that was I didn't see myself as a woman. I didn't see myself as pretty. Or different. I quite simply didn't see myself. After the divorce I took a few years to find out about me. And I liked me. Really I did. I even liked the way I looked. And it showed. Not in a campy, vampy, whorish, snotty way. I felt good, I looked good. It's a simple formula really.

One thing I learned a long time ago - I stand out in a crowd. I do. I don't have the "classic" look. Not to mention I am 6'2". So I don't try to blend in. If I do, I end up standing out even more. People notice ME. But if I dress, like I can do if I put my mind to it, the clothes stand out. People notice the beautiful cocktail dress, or stunning suit. Not ME. That's the way I like it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if a woman feels good she looks.....GREAT! There is just something about a woman that is comfortable in her own skin, a glow and certain swing in her step. You may never know that she hates her nose, or that her hair drives her crazy. She is confident in the fact that she knows her worth, that she understands that she is one of a kind.

THAT is where beauty comes from. So ladies - listen up. Got a few extra pounds? So. You don't look like Tyra Banks or Cindy Crawford? Good. You really don't want to. Be who you are. Be proud of all that makes you a woman.

And guys? Tell the women in your life. Tell they what it is that makes them beautiful. While it's good to know it - it's also very nice to hear it sometimes.

Posted by Tammi at August 15, 2005 06:43 AM | TrackBack