What makes a woman beautiful?

"Beauty is only a skin deep" Do you agree with that phrase? 

Totally agree! Can u imagine a woman without her skin? eerrghh..what?? hikkss...only meat..yucks!

wait wait..I'm not talking about a horror movie here..

One of the most important thing that a woman can do is to beautify her skin. (I hear "amen" here)

All cosmetics and skin care products say them all. 

"This cream can make your skin glowing, beautiful, and healthy."

"This one can reduce your wrinkles and fine lines, and that one can lighten/whiten your skin."

"This one can minimize your pore, pimples, etc, etc"

Pretty familiar with all commercial brands, huh?

What next?

A good shape..hmm...a skinny woman is considered more attractive than a fat one. It also goes the same with the thin legs, thighs, arms and a flat belly. No wonder all gyms put a skinny women with a tight body as their models. 

Any shortcuts for these? Yes, there is! a plastic surgery, liposuctions, and any kind of instant treatment..

Anything else?

Oh! clothing, shoes and accessories! They surely make us attractive! All brands of fashion items have the same vision "to make women more beautiful and attractive"

Well, is that something wrong with it? Nope...

What I'm going to share is another beauty of a woman. A woman considered beautiful if she has outer and inner beauty. I've seen a lot of pretty woman that is very attractive at first, but when I get to know them (their characters), suddenly I feel the physical beauty is disappearing too :)

So, what makes a woman beautiful?

I got this article from Christian Virtual Magazine (written by Nancy Morgan), and I find it's very useful to remind us what the real beauty is. I only highlight some points.

1. Outer Beauty

 Women tend to take a critical look at their individual features and flaws and feel this is what makes them attractive or not,  whereas a man tends to look at the overall impression a woman creates. What a woman does with what she has is very important in making herself attractive. Physical beauty is really within the reach of any woman.

The most influential factor in a woman’s physical beauty is her health. When a woman is healthy, she has an attractive glow about her. Good health adds more color to the face and skin and helps produce more energy. A balanced, nutritious diet and exercise plan will help a woman to have this healthy glow. It will also help to keep excess weight off and produce a more attractive physique. When a woman is striving to follow the health laws she looks and feels more beautiful.

Another key factor of womanly beauty is looking feminine. A woman should look like a woman, not a man. A woman can achieve this through her dress and hairstyle.

A physically attractive woman is also one who dresses modestly. Our society teaches women to flaunt their physical attributes by displaying scantily clad women on billboards, magazines and most other media outlets. Many women feel they must also dress this way to be considered attractive. This is not true. A fully clothed woman dressed in a modest, feminine way is very attractive. She is not only attractive, she gains honor and respect from those who see her. A woman’s body is designed to be attractive and arousing to men, and when a woman is revealing too much of herself in public, she is stirring up the wrong kind of feelings and will attract the wrong kind of attention. A truly beautiful woman aims for respect in the way she dresses.

2. Inner Beauty

A woman should be kind—she should be gracious. Proverbs 11:16
 tells us that a gracious woman retains honor. When you think of the women that you hold in high regard, they usually are ladies who are kind, gentle, thoughtful, unselfish, etc. They are the women that we look up to and remember. In Proverbs 31:26, a virtuous woman is described as having the law of kindness on her tongue.

Bradley Gerstman, Christopher Pizzo and Rich Seldes, in the book What Men Want, write, “Women are astonished when we tell them what many professional men look for in a woman on the first date—besides chemistry, of course. Are you ready to hear what men hope to find in a woman they are dating for the first time? Men like women who are nice. Men are suckers for kindness and consideration. We love women who are affable, flexible, easygoing. Most men cannot resist a sweet woman” (page 68). Women who are gracious and kind are attractive.

A woman should also have good judgment. In Proverbs 11:22, a lovely woman who lacks discretion is compared to a ring of gold in a swine’s snout. If a woman is physically attractive, but lacks discretion, it takes away from her beauty and value. Good judgment is needed in many areas of life such as moral issues, money matters, choices, decisions, dealing with others, work, etc. A woman who possesses good judgment is of great value because she can be trusted to do the right thing.

A woman should continue to grow and better her inner self. Proverbs 31 describes a woman who is competent and capable of doing many different things. A woman who continues to grow while developing her talents and abilities is a woman of value. She is one who is able to contribute to others through these abilities, and she will be of use to her family, Church, community, etc. A woman who is developing her potential is an attractive woman.

3. Beautiful to God

A truly beautiful woman is not only attractive on the outside and inside, she is also attractive to God. How a woman looks to God is more important than any other quality she possesses because one day her outer beauty will fade and her inner beauty will cease, but the beauty that God sees in her will be important when she stands before Him. Being beautiful to God should be top priority on every woman’s list. The Scriptures give us some clues as to what God finds attractive in women.

God values a quiet spirit in a woman. As 1 Peter 3:3-4 tells us, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” Does this mean that a woman should never say anything—that she should always be quiet? No, this is saying that a woman should not have an argumentative, contentious spirit. She should not be someone who is quick to argue and demand her way. She should be peaceable to others and respectful to her husband. There are several scriptures in the book of Proverbs that talk about women who are angry and contentious, and how difficult it is to live with them.

A truly beautiful woman is not in competition with men—she understands the value and strengths that they possess and appreciates them. Women and men both possess certain qualities that are needed by one another.

God values a woman who is submissive. “Submissive” is not a popular word in our society today. Many people think of being submissive as being weak. Yet, God has commanded women who are married to submit themselves to their husband’s authority. This does not mean that a woman should never have an opinion or say in what takes place in the family. A wise husband will consult his wife on all important issues. A woman who submits herself to her husband is a woman that understands and is yielding to the government that God has established in the home (Ephesians 5: 22-32). It is not a sign of weakness when a woman submits to her husband, it is a sign of strength. It is a sign that she is in fact submitting herself to God and is obeying the commands that He has established. It is a sign of her faith in God. When a woman submits to her husband’s authority in marriage, she is beautiful to God.

God also values a woman who fears Him. When a woman is putting God first in her life and is striving to do what He has commanded, she is attractive to God. She should continue to deepen her relationship with Him and continue to grow spiritually. Proverbs 31: 30 reads, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”

If a woman possesses only the physical aspect of beauty without the inner and godly qualities, she is a hollow and empty shell.

It is within every woman’s reach to become the beautiful woman God intended her to be. She should be beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside and, most importantly, she should be beautiful to God.