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Real Answers™
sh50
Copyright: © 2007 Shaunna Howat
655 words

A LESSON IN BEAUTY FROM BRITNEY

By: Shaunna Howat

She started out young, cute, energetic and talented, entertaining kids on a kids’ show. She caught the eye of producers and directors who wanted her to be their star. And Britney Spears’ celebrity status was assured.

Celebrity does something. It seems to be like a drug: addicting and dangerous to the body and soul. Many beautiful, talented stars have caved under the pressure of stardom, and it seems Britney has, too.

It appears that Britney’s troubles have many sources, but the child star rose to fame quickly and apparently lost her solid footing. She was heralded as a Christian early on. But when her teen stardom progressed, mothers were not pointing their young girls to Britney as a role model. They were covering their daughters’ eyes.

Britney engaged in one episode of licentious behavior after another as she grew up, wearing scanty clothes, gyrating in sexually provocative moves she called “dance,” and French-kissing Madonna onstage. Then we read about her 55-hour marriage and her escapades at clubs.

She drove with a baby on her lap and another time nearly dropped him. She divorced her next husband after two years and then paraded through night clubs with other “bad girls” of Hollywood, proudly flaunting her lack of underwear for photographers.

Now we see she has shaved her head and checked into rehab for some undisclosed substance abuse. This probably comes at a good time for her—some say too little, too late—as she seems to be spiraling out of control.

Far from judging her, it’s more important to acknowledge that she, like many of us, values her life based on her looks and behavior. Any real friends she must have are few and far between, for what true, deep friend would encourage her to risk her life and the custody of her children by engaging in such risky behavior? Most who must call themselves her friends probably hang on based on what they want to get out of her: money or fame. How empty she must feel as a result.

What her puzzled fans and observers seem to ignore or neglect is that what’s wrong with Britney goes much deeper than substance abuse or self-mutilation, which is what some call her head-shaving incident. What’s wrong with Britney is in her very core, as with all the rest of us as well. She has left behind whatever Christian foundation she might have had. She’s forgotten that beauty is completely different from exposed breasts or provocative dancing.

What Britney has forgotten, or ignored, is that at our very core we are flawed. No amount of makeup, hair extensions (or shaving), photo touchups or alcohol will suppress or deaden that truth.

Britney may be gorgeous on the outside, but inside she must have felt incredibly empty and lonely. She must have forgotten where real value lies.

The truth of beauty is that it lies deep underneath the skin and flows outward. An old proverb says, “A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.”

The truth is that beauty lies in one’s soul. A person’s lack of discretion can make her hideous. A pretty woman can be physically appealing, but her beauty and eternal value do not reside in her skin or the shape of her body. They are found in the heart of one who lives a life of integrity, wisdom and serenity. Britney’s frenetic, public unraveling would present the very opposite.

The solution to her problem does not come easily. It begins by admitting that the root of our problem lies within us—that we are deeply flawed and cannot save ourselves. Nor can we cover up our flaws with makeup, hair dye or intoxicating substances. We can’t shave away, or drink away, the deep ache inside of us. Only by admitting we have a deep need can we begin to find the One who can meet those needs.

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com

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