Body Image: Transforming Your Reflection ~ Laurel's Leaves

Thursday, October 17

Body Image: Transforming Your Reflection

Posted by Laurel Garver on Thursday, October 17, 2013 4 comments

By Tessa Emily Hall

author of Purple Moon

Like many teenage girls today, my protagonist, Selena, doesn’t have a very high self-esteem. She’s never been called beautiful, and often skips meals in order to be more pleased with her appearance. The thing is—if someone has a low self-esteem, they’re never going to come to a point when they’re pleased with their appearance. Why? Because they’ll always find something wrong with themselves.

The pressure that society puts on us woman today is ridiculous. Just flip through a fashion magazine or even watch television commercials and you’ll see why. No wonder most teens today have a poor body image!

Although it is okay to wear makeup and jewelry and cute clothes, those things are eventually going to fade. As Selena’s neighbor in Purple Moon tells her, “all that material junk doesn’t define true beauty.” True beauty comes from developing your relationship with Christ; true beauty comes from being confident in who you are.

What about you? When you look in the mirror, what do you see? If you have a negative perception of yourself, then I think it’s time for a little transformation of your reflection. And I’m not talking about the one in the mirror.

Have you ever seen someone and just knew, without even knowing them, that they had a low self-esteem? The reflection that you have of yourself will always reflect to others.

The opposite is also true—it’s easy to spot those who have confidence. Even if they aren’t necessarily what’s considered “attractive” in the world’s eyes, these people know who they are in Christ, and other opinions cannot change that.

What if I told you that you can be confident in who you are, without having to change your appearance? You don’t need a new image to create it—all you need is a new self-image. You will always act upon the image that you have perceived of yourself, and the only way to rise above a low self-esteem is to see yourself the way that God sees you.

“You made my whole being;

you formed me in my mother’s body.

I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.

What you have done is wonderful.”

-Psalm 139:14 (NCV)

If you don’t find your reflection appealing, it doesn’t mean that it’s time to work out more. It simply means that it’s time to get a new perspective, to transform your reflection…

Of your reflection.

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Tessa Emily Hall is the 19-year-old author of Purple Moon, a YA Christian fiction novel published September 2013 by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is also the editor for the faith department of Temperance Magazine, a column writer for Whole Magazine, a contributing writer for More To Be, as well as the PR for God of Moses Entertainment. Other than writing, Tessa enjoys acting, music, Starbucks, and her Teacup Shih Tzu—who is named Brewer after a character in her book, as well as her love for coffee.

Website: www.tessaemilyhall.com
Blog: www.christiswrite.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tessaemily
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tessa.h16

About Purple Moon

Selena's life isn't turning out to be the fairy tale she imagined as a kid. That hope seemed to vanish long ago when her dad kicked her and her mom out of the house. This summer might finally hold the chance of a new beginning for Selena ... but having to live with her snobby cousin in Lake Lure, NC while waiting for her mom to get out of rehab wasn't how Selena was planning on spending her summer. She soon begins to wonder why she committed to give up her "bad habits" for this.

Things don't seem too bad, though. Especially when Selena gains the attention of the cute neighbor next door. But when her best friend back home in Brooklyn desperately needs her, a secret that's been hidden from Selena for years is revealed, and when she becomes a target for one of her cousin's nasty pranks, she finds herself having to face the scars from her past and the memories that come along with them. Will she follow her mom's example in running away, or trust that God still has a fairy tale life written just for her?

Amazon / Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

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