You're Gorgeous, Baby!

I really enjoy eye candy week, and not just for the obvious reasons. No, I like it because I get to sift through dozens of sexy, fun photos and call it work.

I love my job! Heh heh heh.

Seriously, I'm fascinated by human beauty, or what we each consider human beauty. I love art, and I love that artists like da Vinci saw beauty in those others might consider average looking. He was as apt to sketch a drunk at the local tavern as he was to paint a beautiful woman or an angelic child.

I like pretty things, but I'm constantly reminded that what I consider beautiful or sexy is not what constitutes the same for someone else. That's what makes the world such a wonderful place: diversity. I like to think that somewhere in this wide world, there is someone who might think I'm the most gorgeous creature on the face of the planet (besides my hubby), just because s/he likes the symmetry of my countenance, or the lack thereof.

With six billion people floating around, the chances that someone will find me attractive are quite high, even if that person resides in the farthest reaches of the globe and doesn't get out much, and that makes me feel good. Yes, I know that it's much better to be loved for who you are and not how you look. I believe it, too, because heaven knows I'm not the most easy-to-look-at gal in the universe. However, you have to admit that each of us has an ego, and that ego loves to be fed that little morsel of "Hey, you're cute!" once in a while.

Now, I'm not saying I need this reinforcement all the time. No, that's why the gods created chocolate and romance novels and cats--pleasant distractions for when the world has not adequately recognized our face value. Literally.

Speaking of face value, let's try an experiment. Look in the mirror. Stare straight into your own eyes and say, "You're ugly." Easy, right? Now look in the mirror and stare straight into your own eyes and say, "You're gorgeous, baby!" Easy? Not so fast. Did you giggle?

You wouldn't believe how many people have no problem telling themselves they're ugly or finding a flaw, but when it comes to acknowledging their own beauty, many stumble. They can't say it. They can't say it because they don't believe it, when the truth is, we're all beautiful. Ask anyone to point out a flaw, and you'll get a list three miles long. Ask that same person to point out an attractive feature, and you'll get maybe one or two items listed if any.

Let's go back to that imaginary person way on the other side of the world who doesn't get out much, the one who thinks I'm the epitome of hot, a goddess of the first order. I could tell myself that s/he doesn't know what s/he is talking about, that the person has bad eyesight, that the person spends way more time with mountain lions and sheep and whippoorwills than s/he does with humans and therefore has very low standards of human beauty. But I'm not going to because that would be insulting, and the need for self-deprecation should never overwhelm one's good manners. So I smile and am grateful that shepherding doesn't require glasses. :)

I'll now hop down off my soap box, or better yet, let one of these nice gentlemen assist me in getting down, and leave you with some "art" from my collection. Enjoy these hubba hubbas, and remember...

You're gorgeous, baby!