OK, most women like compliments. When someone else points out that we have it together, it feels good. There’s no harm in that. Some women, however, live their lives entirely consumed by their beauty. They seek little more in life because they believe beauty is the ticket to bliss. The obvious implication of this obsession with looks is that these women tend to puff themselves up unnecessarily and are destined to be deflated by someone who’s had enough of the madness; but, the subtler ramification is that the women severely devalue their own potential. In doing so, they rob themselves of meaningful relationships and experiences.

Looks Do Matter…

I was raised to strive for excellence in every aspect of my life. My mother was raised in the era where ladies still wore dresses, fine perfume and pearls. She raised me to carry myself like a lady at all times. So, I never believed that looks were inconsequential. But, she also taught me that once anyone of worth meets the outer me, they will always look deeper. If they found that nothing was there, they’d have no reason to make me a part of their lives. Plainly put, “pretty ain’t gonna do it.”

…But, Pretty Comes a Dime a Dozen.

I live in a cosmopolitan city where pretty is everywhere. In Atlanta, the streets seem to be covered with entertainers, groupies, video “vixens”, professional women, blue collar women, strippers, etc. On an ordinary day, men can’t tell one type from the other with a quick glance. Still, despite the fierce aesthetic competition, it seems that so many women here fail to realize that to get in the game and stay in the lead, you’ve got to have something ELSE to set you apart. Instead of becoming unique individuals, these women merely work even harder at being more of the same–the same handbag; same hair; same footwear; and, so on.

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