Beauty for Cash
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30
Some time ago – but since the recession started in 2007 — I had an interesting conversation with five other women. It seemed obvious that hard economic times were coming and so we were discussing the kind of luxuries we may have to give up if and when it hit us personally.
Most of us agreed that we would easily forgo some things like new shoes when we already own more than we wear and perhaps we’d just adapt over time to electricity that is only on certain times of the day. Of the six women four agreed that they would not give up hair color, fingernails would be easy – but not hair color.
This conversation and a more recent one got me thinking about what we Americans spend on making ourselves beautiful. I was dumbfounded at the numbers! In 2009, as the economy was falling apart around us, U.S. women (and I suppose a few men) spent $10.5 Billion on beauty “procedures” like laser hair removal, microdermabrasion, rhinoplasty (which I had to look up), chemical peels and Botox. This represents 10,000,000 (10 million!) procedures. From 2008 – 2009 the more costly surgical procedures like liposuction and breast enhancements, did go down by 17%. (Statistics are from World Magazine).
I did a little Google search in an effort to find out what these procedures cost. On the low end we are paying from $300 for some chemical peels (they can go up to $2000) and collagen fillers to plump our lips, to $4000 – $7000 for facelifts, liposuction, and breast enhancements.
Hear me clearly that I am not saying that it’s sin to have one of these procedures if you have the money. I had a friend once tell me she sees these as maintenance. She paints her house regularly so she does a little work on her face regularly! But I can’t help but wonder how far we should go or how much we should spend. Are we concentrating so much on our own physical beauty that we’re missing what’s happening in the world around us?
As always, we need to look at what the scriptures say about this. As I began to look at what the Bible says I learned that the times the Bible talks about physical beauty it promises no real blessings. Beauty can be deceiving, trying to trap men in sin according to Proverbs 6:25. Ezekiel 16:15 rebukes people for trusting in their beauty and verse 25 says that it became an abomination.
But, the Lord does promise blessing to those who help the poor.
Proverbs 14:21, Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
Proverbs 14:31, Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
We honor God and we’ll be blessed when we help the poor.
The way the Bible talks about the poor in general attempts to protect them from oppression and prejudice. We are commanded to help them and not to dismiss them. (Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 15:7; 15:11; and James 2:2-5 are examples of these commands.)
How does God want us to think about and spend our money – money that He has generously given us? He allows us to spend it as we will but also commands us to remember others in need and even to tithe to our churches.
How are we spending our money, even as a culture or as a nation? Is God being honored in our stewardship of what He’s given us? Have we given more cash to our beauty regimens than we have to our impoverished neighbors?
Again, we need to pray, asking the One who will tell us, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) If we ask Him for direction regarding our spending and giving He will be honored, that’s always for His glory and our good! .