What is the Price of Beauty?

Let’s talk about beauty. 

Are you still getting fully ready during quarantine? What do you make yourself pretty for every day? Are you using this opportunity to figure out what brings joy in beauty, or are you oppressed by the beauty regime our culture finds socially required? 

These are all questions we ask in “The Price of Beauty,” Episode 10 of Season 1 of What The Func?! Podcast! Our hosts, Laura and Clayton, look beyond masks, hair dye, and haircuts, and focus on where beauty really starts – with your health. 

How do you feel about your health?

Start with the quality of your skin and health. Instead of putting on foundation, try focusing your attention on your diet – your gut has a strong impact on how your skin looks. When foods that don’t work well with your system, such as not eating enough fiber, dealing with environmental toxins, or toxins in foods such as GMOs, pesticides, and processed food, your gut lining weakens, making it permeable. Food particles can then end up where they shouldn’t be and create an inflammatory response in your body, such as acne. 

In this gut-acne connection, there are two categories of food: aggravators and feeders. Aggravators are foods that trigger inflammation in the intestines by an immune or allergic response. This inflammatory response is typically brought on by foods that contain dairy or gluten. Feeders promote the growth of bad bacteria and fungi in your lower GI tract. These foods can easily be converted into sugar or alcohol and can also increase inflammation in your body. 

To begin figuring out what is causing this inflammation, you should start by carefully considering what is on your fork. A healthy gut means regular elimination, comfortable digestion, less bloating, clearer skin, and increased energy. Drinking a lot of water, consuming fresh veggies, and getting plenty of rest is a great place to begin reducing inflammation. Additionally, don’t forget to add foods rich in pre- and probiotics to promote a healthy gut and immune response!

Going beyond the mirror 

Makeup is a fun way to experiment and express to the outside world who we are on the inside. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing makeup whenever you want – but the most crucial part is that you are doing it for you because you want to, not because you think you need to. It’s always good to reflect on why/how you wear your makeup and if it has a positive effect on you.

For most of us makeup-wearers, we’re finally feeling liberated from the external expectation of what the world wants us to look like. The pressure to have poreless skin has been lifted. Many have taken this time to go beyond the mirror and instead look at the beauty and Character Strengths within us, such as love, bravery, zest, and humor. 

Self-love goes beyond the external, it’s about having a high regard for your well-being and happiness and appreciating yourself for how and where you are in life. Self-love and compassion are key to mental health and well-being. The first step to developing self-love is paying attention to your self-talk, how you internally talk to yourself. Are you uplifting yourself? Are you focusing on what you need? 

While outer beauty is fun to express when you uplift yourself with positivity and self-love, your inner beauty shines through.