There is a definite process to creating a beautiful and valuable gemstone. It can involve lots of heat, pressure, and chipping/cutting the stone until it begins to sparkle and shine. Then a jeweler determines the value or worth of each gemstone based it’s BEAUTY, DURABILITY, and RARITY.
We are all like these gemstones that the are put under tremendous heat and pressure, then chipped or cut down to create beautiful earrings, necklaces, rings, and other pieces of jewelry that we buy. However, when we are looking in the mirror trying to determine our own value, I think that we focus too much on the BEAUTY. We ignore the DURABILTY and RARITY. True beauty is a part of what makes any gemstone valuable, but what about it’s durabilty or rarity? Aren’t those just as important? Shouldn’t we give ourselves credit for all of the other amazing qualities we possess in addition to our outer beauty?
The Dove company has been working to help girls realize their true beauty. I think the following clip from Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty really helps to put in perspective how crazy our standards are when it comes to outward appearances. We pick up a magazine, watch a commercial, or see a movie and look at these beautiful people and think “Why don’t I look like that?” Then we go on crazy diets or try different hairstyles, make-ups, clothes, exercise routines to try to get our physical appearance to match what we see in the media. But what about those models or actors is real? What is durable or rare in them?
In the eyes of a jeweler beauty only adds 1/3 to the value of a gemstone. If it is not durable or rare, then it is not worth much. The same holds true for us. If we cannot stand up for ourselves and what is right; if we give in to peer pressure, then how are we durable? We need to stand strong in our beliefs and remain to true to ourselve. If we try to look like the models and actors we see in the media, then what makes us rare? We need to look at our outer appearance and realize that being “flawed” is what makes us unique. I think we should all be a little more like the jeweler when trying to appraise ourselves and stop focusing so much on outward beauty and concentrate more on inner strength and uniqueness.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Nancy Ball // Oct 16, 2009 at 12:52 pm
The first session of the Grade 6 GEMS just watched this video. They said it was cool to show people how someone can be changed to not be how she really is. They also said that the model did not look anything like how she looked before they began. They also said they will check this out later and write their own comments. They will tell their moms, sisters, cousins, aunts and grandmas too!
2 nicole vavro // Oct 16, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I think that it was totally wrong for them to fire her because i thought she wa beautiful how she was before they took that picture. Now the picture they have kinda looks ugly and she doesn’t look right and to skinny. I honostly think that it is wrong for people to be photoshoped. and that they should excepted people how they are and keep the picture thats not photoshoped.
3 Samantha // Oct 23, 2009 at 12:45 pm
The video on the dove campain showed me that most people in magazines and ect. are fake. People should show the girls real beauty because she was already pretty before they put makeup on her
4 gabbie caroscio // Dec 8, 2009 at 1:40 pm
heyyyyyy mrs. meek!!!!! GEMSSS ISSS SOO MUCHH FUNN!! i am soo happy that you are my gemms instructerr!!!:) i am learning a lot about real beautyy and i think people who dont show true beauty are fakke!! <3 gabbiee
5 Nancy Ball // Mar 5, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Our second GEMS group just watched this video. They said they made her “fake, unrealistic, skinnier; they tried to make her perfect and no one is perfect!”
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