Having three spirited and imaginative older
sisters, from a young age I became very familiar with Disney Princesses. These
fictional heroines were the topic of our discussions, the premise of our
wardrobes, and the theme of every make-believe story we ever played. We wished and
even pretended to be these characters. As I reflect back on my childhood and my obsession with Disney princesses,
I can’t help but ask myself why I was so captivated by their world of fantasy.
As much as I dearly admired each
princess, Aurora from Disney’s Sleeping
Beauty, always struck my special interest. Aurora is best described as
sweet, naive, playful, gentle and refined. It’s no wonder why she was so
captivating. One of the reasons why I had always found her to be charming was because she was elegant. Elegance is defined as the
quality of being graceful and stylish in appearance or manner. Interestingly,
I recently discovered that she was modeled after the sophisticated Audrey
Hepburn, an icon during the Hollywood Golden Age (1920s-1960s) and remembered
today for her classy appearance.
I love Aurora because she teaches girls,
and even us ladies too, that beauty is not the trendiest new fashion that shows
way too much skin. It’s not layers of makeup and fake eyelashes, and it's not
how outspoken you can be and the attention you can draw. Beauty is described by
elegance. Beauty is cherished when it is naïve and respected when it is
refined. Girls, we can look beautiful
without compromising our virtues. And because we are His royal princesses, we
can learn from Aurora that elegance is beauty.
So what does this elegant beauty look
like in the 21st century? What does it mean to be a lady of graceful
virtue?
If you know the story of Sleeping Beauty,
than you know that Aurora was granted the gift of beauty as an infant. She was
everything that the world may define beauty to be. She had the golden sunshine
hair, red rosy lips, violet eyes, and fair complexioned skin. But
she recognized that true beauty is not a gift granted - it’s how you choose to
carry yourself with what you’re given. Let’s be awakened by Sleeping Beauty because she exemplifies the most radiant beauty – elegance.
Beauty is: eyes of an eager listener, the
kindness in a smile, a hand extended to someone in need, a heart to be a
genuine friend, and a mouth that speaks life and truth.
“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It's the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.” – Audrey Hepburn
Long before
Audrey Hepburn’s day, we find in a familiar Proverb, the description of a woman of
noble character who was “worth far more than rubies… and clothed with strength
and dignity” (Proverbs 31:10, 25). This sounds like a woman of elegance to me!
And believe me, you can still have elegant
beauty and be keeping up with the trends. Coming soon in “Current Craze” will be
some fashion inspiration on how to bring Aurora’s elegance into the 21st
century!
Confidently His,
Whitney
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