Written by Daniel Morrissey
If you enter “holistic beauty” into your favorite search engine, you are bound to come across a host of advertisements for herbal skincare products and vegan-friendly cosmetics. While there is certainly nothing wrong with taking an eco-friendly approach to the world of cosmetics, this article has very little to do with environmentalism and cosmetology. What I have to share is something you are not likely to hear from either an ecologist or a cosmetologist.
But before we get to that, allow me to begin with a little etymology.
According to Webster’s Online Dictionary, the most pertinent definition of “holistic” is as follows: “relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.” In other words, the whole of anything is greater than the sum of its parts.
As for beauty, I like the Dictionary.com definition for its completeness: “the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).” This definition is not limited to aesthetics, which is why it appeals to me. This definition is more holistic.
Which brings me back to holistic beauty. Again, I am certain there are many wonderful “holistic beauty products” that you can have sent to your doorstep for the low price of $39.99 (plus $4.99 shipping and handling), and I am certain that you can find some that will help you look, smell and feel great—all without harming mother nature. But is that really holistic? Is that really even beautiful? Is it a little harsh for me to call those holistic aesthetic products rather than holistic beauty products? I think not.
As a society, we are continually force-fed bits and pieces of what makes a person beautiful and made to believe that this one bit or this one piece is the cure-all, the end-all, be-all; the quick fix; and that satisfaction can be found with one swift swipe of your debit card (or your parent’s debit card, if you prefer). You can become the guy with the great smile and the shiny shoes or the girl with the fabulous dress and the immaculate hairdo. And it all sounds so nice, so perfect, so ideal, and if you hear this message enough, it starts to sound believable. But it is nothing but a lie.
Real beauty is not what you see on television or on the big screen. That’s only a piece of the puzzle. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with being physically attracted to someone. I am not saying there is anything wrong with the desire to be physically attractive. I am saying that when these desires become the focus of our relationships, we are missing out.
Missing out on what, exactly?
Prophesying about Jesus, Isaiah states that “he had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” Yet because of what he did, Jesus is the most holistically beautiful person to walk this earth. As a healer, a teacher, a leader and ultimately as our Savior, he sets the standard for what holistic beauty means. This is what we should be looking for in our relationships with one another, in our family, in our friends and in our romance.
The old adage is that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I’ll take that one step further and say that beauty is found only in the heart, mind and soul of a person.
