What makes a woman beautiful…?

… her femininity? her prowess? the color of her eyes? the style of her clothing?

What makes a woman beautiful?

… her accomplishments? the way she walks? the sound of her laughter? the content of her mind?

What makes a woman beautiful?

… her nurturing spirit? her inner strength? the way she smiles? the scent of her skin?

What makes a woman beautiful?

… her confidence? her sensuality? the size of her figure? the texture of her hair?

What makes a woman beautiful?

It is a question that resides, just behind the eyes, when we look out at our surroundings and see a profusion of corporations attempting to establish and dictate a code of acceptable beauty. 

It is a question that pokes and prods and insists upon attention until we find ourselves peeking at our reflections and fretting over what is presented there: “…am I beautiful…?”

The uncertainty emerges in waves – arriving and departing at will, rising buoyantly to the surface at times we least expect it. It is then that we feel paralyzed –  imprisoned and incapable – quick to dismiss our attributes as things which are ugly and worthless.

But they are not ugly. Nor worthless.

They are extraordinary.

So what really makes a woman beautiful…? 

E* V* E* R* Y* T* H* I* N* G*

All that she has to offer.  

Her heart, her soul, her desires, her fears, her accomplishments, her failures.

Everything, inside and out.

Not what is falsely dictated or insinuated or anticipated, but rather what is true: the beauty which lies in the unique spirit she possesses, exuding from within her like sweet, sun-touched gold.  

©2011 Enchanted Zaftig