JK Rowling has recently written a wonderfully scathing attack on what society considers beautiful.  

One of my favourite quotes concerns her daughters: 

"I've got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don't want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones [ouch!]; I'd rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny a thousand things, before 'thin'."

I think the crux of Rowling's arguement is that we shouldn't let society dictate who we our and what our value is as people.

The fact that I used to own (and proudly wore) a pair of yellow leggings, doesn't make me in any way inferior to someone who had the misfortune not to own such a pair.

My worth does not decrease as my weight increases.

I am still beautiful in God's eyes even when I haven't shaved my legs, plucked my eyebrows or been to the gym in the last 3 weeks.

What we need is a radical reversal of our values.

And as usual, Paul offers some sound advice on how to get started:

'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.' 
Romans 12:2
 
To renew is to make new.  One dictionary says, 'to restore'.  To get back to the original.

What was the original? 

Genesis says that Adam and Eve '... felt no shame'. 

Eve didn't sit there moaning to Adam about her cellulite, or the fact that the monkey over there was thinner than she was.  Why? 

Because she had nothing to be ashamed of!  God had said that his creation was 'very good' - cellulite and all.  And Eve took God at his word.

And I think we need to do the same.

Insted of listening to society, we should be listening to God.

And he says that as the Bride of Christ, we, the church, are beautiful:

'How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh how beautiful!'
Song of Songs 1:15