I asked the oldest member of the Junior Glam Squad which would she rather be, beautiful or smart. She looked at me with those big brown eyes and gave me the answer I DID NOT want to hear. She said she would rather be beautiful. Now mind you I asked and she gave me her honest answer. This scared me. Of course all parents think that our daughters are the most beautiful creatures to ever walk the face of the earth……but exactly how far would beauty take you if you didn’t have the intelligence to cope on a day to day basis? I explained to my daughter that it’s ok to be beautiful but it’s better to be smart, and if you were both then you would be a force to be reckoned with.
It’s important that we teach our daughters that the one thing no one can take away from them is thier intelligence. Beauty comes and goes but dumb is forever. I’m not going to fully blame the media for having our daughters think that unless they are the right size, shape, color, ethnicity, hair, or facial features that they are beautiful. It has to come from home. It’s our duty to to tell our daughters that they are beautiful in their own way and teach them that beauty has many aspects, education being a major factor.
I tell my daughters that you can grow to be the most beautiful woman in the world, but if you can’t fully articulate and hold a decent conversation when around others then you’re just invisable, a beautiful center piece…..lifeless.
I’m not saying that being beautiful is something to be ashamed of. Yes it’ll get you into the right circles, bring forth the right connections, the right jobs. But what happens after you get there? Without the intelligence to comprehend or articulate your surroundings, what is there left?
You haven’t said nothing but the truth! Hope your baby heard and will take heed to what you had to say.
Comment by ladynay — August 26, 2007 @ 9:50 pm
I was so happy to read this post. Thank god we still have some strong (and smart) women out there! Keep preaching it sister!
Comment by Londyn — August 26, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
Amen. Brains over Beauty any day.
Comment by 1969 — August 27, 2007 @ 4:53 pm
Amen. It’s wonderful that you are raising your girls to understand that brains will carry them through life no matter how beautiful they are on the outside. It’s also internal beauty that counts for so so much.
Comment by Tasha — August 27, 2007 @ 7:06 pm
I say this to my friends everyday. They are always…”OH, VV you are gorgeous”…”you have a great body”…”I wish I looked like you”…and I think to myself…this is only temporary, yes beauty does get you places and things more easily then not, but what type of life can you build from it? People say I should be in sales because I have the ability to manipulate with my smile and charm, but when my smile isn’t as white and my charm has gone out the window, then what…what career do I look for then? Yes beauty is wonderful and should be treasured and valued, but what is underneath makes the difference, which is why I work extra hard and being intellegent, well rounded and quick witted. In a room full of men talking about business, I need to be there and be able to do the same, not just look good in a dress, they treat you differently when they know they can’t f**k with you mentally…that is power ontop of power.
Comment by VV — August 28, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
This age of the “Rise of the Video Vixen” has got our daughters twisted. A pretty face and phat ass only amounts to bad decisons and lonely nights down the road. Without the brains beauty is only superficial.
Comment by MadPoetic — August 28, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
Brains over beauty! I try and teach my daughters that now. Its whats on the INSIDE that counts. Great post!
Comment by Adrienne — August 28, 2007 @ 9:03 pm
The “Rise of the Video Vixen” has got our daughters twisted.
Comment by MadPoetic — August 28, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
i’m glad you think that way and that you are teaching that to your kids too!! although i feel that i did (when i was younger) have a lot of insecurities about the way i look and sometimes get irritated that i’m not super-model-quality, i thank god, really, that at least i have some brain. i look at some gorgeous but really bimbo women sometimes and heave a sigh of relief that i am me.
Comment by gilda — September 2, 2007 @ 12:13 am
What I think is most unfortunate is the idea that there should have to be a choice between brains and beauty. As a single man in Chicago, I often find myself having to go for one or the other. It would be nice to see both in a woman.
Comment by Lord Hannibal — September 20, 2007 @ 5:35 am
@Lord Hannibal, It would be nice wouldn’t it? Don’t get me wrong there are beautiful intelligent women and I agree that it would be nice to see both……but society has our young girls messed up in believing beauty is everything when actually it’s not!
Thanks for stopping by, feel free anytime!
Comment by Erica C. — September 20, 2007 @ 12:39 pm