Monday 11 November 2013
Thursday 16 May 2013
An Overview of Lessons on Beauty (posted by Jessica)
This fall my sisters and I were very blessed to be able to participate in a webinar by the Botkin sisters about beauty www.westernconservatory.com. I appreciated how they started with the beginning, guiding girls to find a biblical identity based on the focus and standards of their families. They also encouraged girls to identify the women they look up to and to see if these women are communicating a biblical perspective through their actions and looks. There was more said about this subject of identity, as well as examples of beauty used in the Bible for good and evil, the history of beauty and the state of beauty in our culture and others. The Botkin sisters advised girls throughout the study to be asking their fathers and brothers about the opinions they have on the subject of beauty. Men sometimes see things very differently than women do and their opinions are not to be taken lightly.
Hygiene, exercise, healthy eating, hair and nail care were some of the topics that they covered. The Botkin girls did not tell girls what to do, because everyone is different and what works for one girl will not work for the next. What they did is give what we should be doing in general (eat salad, drink lots of water etc.), share some of the things that work for them and give some options and suggestions on what might work well for others. Some of these things, such as healthy eating and exercise, are not just about making us look or feel good but for the health of the children we may have. Exercise is often the first item on the list of "least favorite things to do" and yet it is one of the training courses in preparing for the " Marathon of Motherhood". They shared many ways to go about this (aerobics, running, walking, sports, work etc.) as everyone will have different preferences.
Then they got down to the nitty-gritty of the actual appearance. There were many things that us girls had to relearn about how we dress. One area was how to use our clothes to bring the eyes of people up to our faces. Many pieces of clothing through decorations or lines will emphasize areas that are not what we would want to be the focal point. With appearance, the Botkin girls talked about different styles for different figures, accessories, shopping with a plan, using dyes, alterations, improvising, mixing and matching, hair care and styling, using good stewardship in purchases, and many others.
They talked about colors, finding our season (summer, winter, spring, fall) and how one color may look good on one person but not necessarily on the next because of different skin and hair coloring. Using a color wheel to see what colors work well together was mentioned several times. Also, if we know our colors then shopping will be a lot easier because we know what colors for which to look.
In regards to the different styles of clothes, they mentioned that everyone has a different body type and therefore will need a different style and cut of clothing. In our family, some of us girls look better in a long full skirt and can wear more bulky sweaters or extravagant shirts. Others need a shorter skirt with some poof to it and a more fitted shirt, usually a solid color. Of course, there is no one size fits all, even in our family, because everyone is a little different. Then there is the frosting and cake analogy. This one really made us girls laugh because it described us perfectly. The frosting is all of those really cute pieces in our closet that cannot be worn with anything. A really cute patterned skirt cannot be worn with a really cute patterned shirt. The cake is solid colors that can be worn with most anything, such as black, grey, brown and so on. Their point was that if we have more cake (basic solid colors) and less frosting (frills, lines, patterns) then the battle to find something to wear will be more easily won. Also, we need to remember that some clothes are going to look nicer on the hanger at the store than they will on our bodies.
On the subject of makeup, the emphasis was that the point of makeup should not be to show people that we are wearing it. Rather it should blend into our face and enhance the coloring or skin type that we have; people should notice blue eyes as the focal point, not blue eyelids. Staying with more natural colors will give a more natural appearance. Again, every family is going to have a different opinion or position on the subject of cosmetics. Like many things, makeup is a tool that has been abused in many cultures, and used for making the face look unnatural or seductive. But it can also be used rightly and in a God honoring manner. The Botkin sisters covered the history of makeup, the different arguments of "to wear and to not wear makeup", suggestions on choosing the colors that will suit the different complexions, and options for buying or making cosmetics.
I hope that I have properly encouraged and excited you into looking for yourself into the study of beauty. Even if you know much about personal appearance this study will stretch you to think about why we make the decisions we are making. I have only scratched the surface in this overview. There was much more covered, many important things said. There are multiple things that I have changed, not only in my wardrobe but in my thinking. This study was not just about how to make girls look more presentable, find their identity or learn the history on a relevant topic; the Botkin girls began and finished with the emphasis on the heart. The heart will show through by the expression on our face, the content of our words and the works of our actions and though we may get our colors right, though our makeup be perfectly applied and our hair done to perfection, if our heart is in the wrong place it will show through; nothing can cover it up. But if our heart is right, if all that we do is to glorify God then it will show through our countenance, words and actions and that is where true beauty starts, with a gentle and quiet spirit.
1 Peter 3:3-4 ~ Do not let your adornment be merely outward- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
 |
This fall my sisters and I were very blessed to be able to participate in a webinar by the Botkin sisters about beauty www.westernconservatory.com. I appreciated how they started with the beginning, guiding girls to find a biblical identity based on the focus and standards of their families. They also encouraged girls to identify the women they look up to and to see if these women are communicating a biblical perspective through their actions and looks. There was more said about this subject of identity, as well as examples of beauty used in the Bible for good and evil, the history of beauty and the state of beauty in our culture and others. The Botkin sisters advised girls throughout the study to be asking their fathers and brothers about the opinions they have on the subject of beauty. Men sometimes see things very differently than women do and their opinions are not to be taken lightly.
Hygiene, exercise, healthy eating, hair and nail care were some of the topics that they covered. The Botkin girls did not tell girls what to do, because everyone is different and what works for one girl will not work for the next. What they did is give what we should be doing in general (eat salad, drink lots of water etc.), share some of the things that work for them and give some options and suggestions on what might work well for others. Some of these things, such as healthy eating and exercise, are not just about making us look or feel good but for the health of the children we may have. Exercise is often the first item on the list of "least favorite things to do" and yet it is one of the training courses in preparing for the " Marathon of Motherhood". They shared many ways to go about this (aerobics, running, walking, sports, work etc.) as everyone will have different preferences.
Then they got down to the nitty-gritty of the actual appearance. There were many things that us girls had to relearn about how we dress. One area was how to use our clothes to bring the eyes of people up to our faces. Many pieces of clothing through decorations or lines will emphasize areas that are not what we would want to be the focal point. With appearance, the Botkin girls talked about different styles for different figures, accessories, shopping with a plan, using dyes, alterations, improvising, mixing and matching, hair care and styling, using good stewardship in purchases, and many others.
They talked about colors, finding our season (summer, winter, spring, fall) and how one color may look good on one person but not necessarily on the next because of different skin and hair coloring. Using a color wheel to see what colors work well together was mentioned several times. Also, if we know our colors then shopping will be a lot easier because we know what colors for which to look.
In regards to the different styles of clothes, they mentioned that everyone has a different body type and therefore will need a different style and cut of clothing. In our family, some of us girls look better in a long full skirt and can wear more bulky sweaters or extravagant shirts. Others need a shorter skirt with some poof to it and a more fitted shirt, usually a solid color. Of course, there is no one size fits all, even in our family, because everyone is a little different. Then there is the frosting and cake analogy. This one really made us girls laugh because it described us perfectly. The frosting is all of those really cute pieces in our closet that cannot be worn with anything. A really cute patterned skirt cannot be worn with a really cute patterned shirt. The cake is solid colors that can be worn with most anything, such as black, grey, brown and so on. Their point was that if we have more cake (basic solid colors) and less frosting (frills, lines, patterns) then the battle to find something to wear will be more easily won. Also, we need to remember that some clothes are going to look nicer on the hanger at the store than they will on our bodies.
On the subject of makeup, the emphasis was that the point of makeup should not be to show people that we are wearing it. Rather it should blend into our face and enhance the coloring or skin type that we have; people should notice blue eyes as the focal point, not blue eyelids. Staying with more natural colors will give a more natural appearance. Again, every family is going to have a different opinion or position on the subject of cosmetics. Like many things, makeup is a tool that has been abused in many cultures, and used for making the face look unnatural or seductive. But it can also be used rightly and in a God honoring manner. The Botkin sisters covered the history of makeup, the different arguments of "to wear and to not wear makeup", suggestions on choosing the colors that will suit the different complexions, and options for buying or making cosmetics.
I hope that I have properly encouraged and excited you into looking for yourself into the study of beauty. Even if you know much about personal appearance this study will stretch you to think about why we make the decisions we are making. I have only scratched the surface in this overview. There was much more covered, many important things said. There are multiple things that I have changed, not only in my wardrobe but in my thinking. This study was not just about how to make girls look more presentable, find their identity or learn the history on a relevant topic; the Botkin girls began and finished with the emphasis on the heart. The heart will show through by the expression on our face, the content of our words and the works of our actions and though we may get our colors right, though our makeup be perfectly applied and our hair done to perfection, if our heart is in the wrong place it will show through; nothing can cover it up. But if our heart is right, if all that we do is to glorify God then it will show through our countenance, words and actions and that is where true beauty starts, with a gentle and quiet spirit.
1 Peter 3:3-4 ~ Do not let your adornment be merely outward- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
~
With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God
~
Micah 6:6-8
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