I enrolled in the Southwest Institute of Natural Aesthetics, desiring to learn more about natural skincare and the actual industry. I chose this path to fulfill the dream of opening a spa with my sister. After providing services in the healthcare industry for thirty-seven years as a nurse and in various healthcare management roles, the time had come for a career change. I reached a point in my life where I needed to shift focus to preventive care and health maintenance rather than sickness, disease, and death.
Once I enrolled in the aesthetics program, I thought I would start trying out some of the services that would soon become my scope of practice. I splurged on several skin care services, which were all performed by students at the college. The students were very skilled at facials; microdermabrasion; laser treatments for cellulite; and treatment to lighten some older burn scars that I wanted to appear less noticeable. The treatments were fantastic, and I experienced good results with most of my treatments; some of the treatments required more treatments to see better results and exceeded my budget. I was excited to tell the students who provided my services that I would soon be joining them. During the weeks of having the skin care services, I started doubting if I would ever want to perform these services, and more importantly, I questioned the importance of these services to me. Please do not misunderstand, I'm an advocate of self-care; pampering; skin care; and corrective solutions, however, I realized doing aesthetics was not of interest to me. With this new revelation came the understanding that learning the skills of an esthetician would not be a viable plan.
On one of my visits for aesthetic services, I learned of the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA).
SWIHA’s campus is directly across the street from the aesthetics school. Perusing the curriculum catalog, I discovered the Holistic Health and Wellness Practitioner program. While reading the program description, I instantly knew that this program was more aligned with my passion. Shortly after I arrived home, I called the enrollment office and explained my desire to change programs. In one phone call, I was assisted with transitioning to the appropriate program. My new journey began with the study of a holistic approach to health and wellness, along with my desire to help women and young girls discover inward-to-outward beauty. Beauty is intertwined with overall health and wellness.
As a woman who believes that feeling good and looking good are necessary partners, I also see the pressures of looking good. I often wonder how many people put as much effort into feeling good. The time and energy that people, particularly ladies, and adolescent girls, exert to look like a celebrity is becoming costly, and potentially dangerous. When did this major trend to look like we're in a constant photo shoot, or in the starring role of a blockbuster movie become so prevalent? Celebrities are enhanced through cosmetic surgeries, and beauty makeovers, which make them almost unrecognizable when hours' worth of makeup is removed. At least, they can justify the need, since they work in an industry that focuses on outward appearance. So, why do women who are not celebrity status feel the need to look so fabulous all of the time? Is this self-induced pressure, or did the entertainment industry set these impossible beauty standards? While I understand the drive for models and actors to be publicly flawless in external beauty mode, what is driving the “regular” ladies? Or, is that the issue? Women do not want to look regular.
Social media beauty influencers have certainly made a way for the most inexperienced, to become make-up artists and hair gurus, with all of the tutorials. But how on earth is a young impressionable girl going to afford all of the beauty paraphernalia? Are parents paying for beauty makeovers?
I say again, I believe, there is nothing wrong with wanting to enhance beauty, however, here is where I do think it is unhealthy:
- When we allow others to define our beauty
- When you feel less beautiful when you are not using enhancers
- When you are comparing yourself with others
- When you shame others for their looks
- When your external beauty is your focus, ignoring your mental, physical and spiritual well-being
- When you become addicted to plastic surgery
How feeling beautiful intertwines with looking beautiful:
- Emotional well-being helps with self-esteem
- Physical well-being- eating healthy and exercising contribute to nice skin and healthy weight
- Spiritual well-being- Greater than self-created you
- Relational well-being the way that you view your beauty can impact the way that others view you and also the way that you measure the beauty of others
- When you feel good, you look good
My next concern is the casualness of having cosmetic surgeries. I am in no way speaking against beauty enhancements or folks wanting to change their appearance, for any given reason. My question is, at what cost, and what impact on young girls? Will they have any confidence in their appearance? There are many health risks involved with surgeries, and they are also expensive. To make matters worse, women are going to other countries because of the lower costs for the same procedure, forsaking the lower health and safety standards. Recent studies show that most cosmetic surgeries are relatively safe when done by suitably trained and board-certified plastic surgeons in an accredited medical facility. Yet still, the pressure to look beautiful causes many women to take chances on having procedures done in countries with lower costs, yet higher safety risks.
Although insecurities with how we feel about our physical appearances are very common on some level, it becomes problematic when we are willing to risk our health and even our lives to change our appearance. The issue is not with wanting to look beautiful; it is with not feeling beautiful on the inside, and having a false sense of identity, based on external beauty. Let’s start with true beauty, which is at our core, and includes mind, body, and soul.
If you or someone you know would like to explore their true beauty, which starts internally and exudes outwardly, feel welcome to join my Facebook group, Katrina Childrey-Harris BEaUty@YoURCore for affirmations and discussions on true beauty.
