Why Beauty Matters

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and felt the authors did an honest and thorough job of talking about men, women, relationships, self-esteem issues and beauty. There were many good lines, but here were some of my favorites: "...All the women who told us that appearance isn't an issue for them have at least one flesh and blood human being in their lives who loves them well; who treats them as beautiful" (p. 36). Now ain't that the truth? How many times have I (as a single woman hoping to re-marry) been given crappy advice from crabby old married women about seeking out and finding Mr. Perfect. In my experience, long-time married women are the source of the WORST advice about meeting and marrying someone new. And it is also those old married types that do NOT understand that it's hard to talk yourself into believing that you're beautiful. That info needs to come (occasionally) from an outside source. And that's what I loved about "Why Beauty Matters." It was a sincere and honest assessment of the problem of beauty (or lack thereof). And it has a Christian bend that brings a blessing to the whole issue, as well. For instance, "Beauty would be the first thing that a man would notice. We Christian men are no different than non-Christian men, but in church, we pretend we are" (p. 71). Speaking as a 40-something single woman who spent five years obsessing about her weight and looks, I highly recommend this book. It was more than interesting; it was a palpable comfort and a reassuring voice from women who understand the pain of feeling "less than beautiful."

There is often little attention given to this topic either in secular society or in Christian circles. The authors do a good job of combining secular research with biblical perspective. Along the way they provide answers to important questions about beauty, the experiences of women, and what should reasonably be expected by men. In a society where popular media advances the contradictory messages that women are objects to be used and that women are equals to men, this book helps explain that women are of equal value to men and yet their beauty is not without value.