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Slaves to the Body
by Patricia Tan-Rozario |
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The
recent dramatic hospitalisation of actress Andrea De Cruz has
occupied much of our local newspaper headlines. But while there has been
much focus on the ‘how’ of the problem—dangerous slimming
drugs—there has not been much on the ‘why’—our modern-day
obsession with looks. The whole event brought home to me, once
again, the dangers of living in a world obsessed with looks.
For those who did not follow the case, Andrea suddenly developed acute liver failure, but her life was saved by her boyfriend, actor Pierre Png, who donated a portion of his liver to her. The Straits Times reported Andrea had told doctors she developed an allergy to a slimming drug she was taking. Concurrently, the newspaper printed a series of articles about people who developed hepatitis and thyroid problems after taking a particular brand of slimming drug. It also ran a feature on how a local model gave in to the temptation to use a slimming drug but stopped when her health—and sanity—started deteriorating. Worrying about living up to the world’s standards of beauty is not the exclusive burden of actresses and models. I too sometimes feel a twinge of envy when I see a woman who is perfectly dressed, has a great figure or whose makeup and clothes are flawless. And I know a couple of women who worry about gaining weight, use guilt trips to push themselves to the gym and fret after eating chocolate. How do I prevent myself from getting sucked into a relentless pursuit of beauty? In His Image and LikenessWell, I certainly don’t follow the advice offered in women’s magazines—their articles on “inner beauty” are always full of namby-pamby self-affirmations and on the very next page they feature slender and pretty models that I could never aspire to emulate, even if I invested thousands in cosmetic surgery and ate nothing but lettuce. So instead of despairing, I look to the Bible instead. Let us remember that as Christians, we have the Word of God to guide us, and It will provide the necessary ammo in the war against the cult of the body. And it is a cult, for the prevailing attitude today seems to be: Place your body’s well-being above everything else. In fact, secular advice on developing your “spiritual side” is almost always with the intention of improving one’s health, mind or body—that’s right, using God as a tool to help the self! Begin at the Beginning. In Genesis 1:31, after God had made man and woman, it is said: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Now, no-one will ever know what Adam and Eve looked like, but does it matter? It doesn’t—and that’s precisely the point. The fact remains that as children of God, they were made in His Image, and they were good. In fact, the next time you feel envious of someone who looks better than you, look around at other ordinary folk—the old, the physically disabled, children, babies—and as you see each one, say to yourself, “This person is made in God’s image. This person is special.” Believe me, it’s harder than it sounds, but the moment you realise how true it is, well that’s the first step to understanding that looks don’t matter at all to God. |
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