The Glamour Trap

In case you hadn't noticed the name of my blog, I'm a girly girl. The official definition of a girly girl is that it is a term for a girl or woman who chooses to dress and behave in a traditionally feminine style. I admit that I really love being a woman and embrace not only my gender, but my curves. So when an issue of Harper's Bazaar somehow showed up in our mail, I set it aside for a quiet time to drink it in. I thought I'd enjoy all of the fashion and girly stuff inside. But as I flipped through the glossy pages I was surprised to find that I wasn't enthralled with all of the so-called beauty adorning the magazine pages. Instead of wishing I were a wealthy socialite able to afford what was being showcased, I felt sad.
This magazine was not about being a girly girl, it was about being a cookie cutter socialite. It was about wasteful spending on items that cost way too much for what they are. (Some of those fashions are downright horrible, yet because they have a designer name they are considered 'beautiful' and 'stylish'. ) It was about making women believe they all need to look like a willowy model. I ended up feeling sorry for the women in the magazine and those who eagerly devour its pages and spend their money on the items advertised within. For all their posturing and feeling superior, their fat bank accounts and glamorous status, they are trapped in world that tells them what looks good and what doesn't, what's in and what's out, who's cool and who's not. A grown up, expensive version of the 'popular' kids in high school.
True beauty and 'girly girl' style is all about individuality. Of being yourself and expressing that. You can be girly girl in a pair of Faded Glory jeans from Wal-mart or a little black dress from your local Goodwill store. It has nothing to do with how much money you spend or how thin you are, but everything to do with inner beauty and attitude. It's having confidence in yourself and recognizing not just the beauty in others, but in yourself as well.
There's nothing wrong with getting fashion tips and trends from magazines, but learn to use them as 'idea starters' that help you take the things that work for you, in your price range and sizes, and incorporate them into your own version that suits you just the way you are.
So this girly girl is sending a message... stop measuring yourself by those so-called beauty and fashion magazines and break out of the glamour trap.