IMAGE CONSULTANT

Mirror Mirror on the wall

(My struggle with my image and reality in a vain world)

I know you are a bundle of self-control, and you’re a conscientious person. You are neither moved by the new iPhone Xs advert or the Samsung Galaxy 8. That new apparel on the boutique window as you passed by is not appealing to you, and the watch on your friend's wrist is not quietly shouting your name. (lol)

In this society now vanity is the air we breathe. Every corner of your life you are being made to see things that are supposed to help you appear better than you currently are. The advertisement industry has succeeded in making us somehow hungry for a better version of everything. Something you got 6months ago is now regarded as old and outdated let alone what you bought 5years ago.

Our image, value, and worth is now directly tied to things we have and can display. The intangible things of life have been relegated to the background, the concept of hard work and sweat equity is no longer fashionable. The society is controlling the image of who we are.

This demand on our image is so subtle, we sometimes don’t see it. I will give a few examples.

A little time ago it was a thing of pride to say my shoes have lasted for 2years and see how new and comfortable it still feels, but now that comment would be greeted with laughter and comments like. “Haba those shoes are old throw them away”, “did this shoe swear for you”. Durability is no longer a prized asset in this vanity society. A demand has been placed on your appearance.

 The new demand on women is how the society defines being beautiful and sexy, the new criteria are hips and boobs that are astronomical in size, people who are not “Hippy” are no longer tagged as sexy or beautiful. A demand has been placed on the image of a “young lady”.

Daily in my gym sections, I see men who will kill themselves on the bench press all in the bid to have the coveted 6packs some are now hooked on weed, steroids etc. because it is believed to make the process faster. A demand has been placed on the image of a “young man”.

You read blogs every day, of what a man should at least have before you should go out or even consider to marry him, a car, a house, a job, a fat bank account. Etc. A demand on the image of a successful man has been placed.

If the mirror you use to appraise yourself is the mirror the society has given to you, the mirror that spells conformity, the mirror that spells show off, the mirror that spells pride, the mirror that spells sex, the mirror that spells THAT YOUR WORTH IS IN WHAT YOU HAVE NOT WHO YOU ARE. Then you are in a big trouble.

Whenever I catch myself trying to drift away into looking at my image through the mirror of the society, I quickly remind myself that it is not what I have that makes me valuable, it is who I am. I was created valuable by God in His own image. He loves me even when no one does, He loves me even when I don’t have new shoes and clothes to go out with, and he loves me with my pot belly and fat arms. 

The mirror of your value and worth should stem from the knowledge that God is your father and he loves you. It does not matter if I am wearing the best clothes or driving the best car. He is my father and He is working all things out for my good.

When this world of vanity and cares tries to rear its ugly head up again at you, when you feel you have to break the bank to impress your Instagram followers, when you feel you just have to move to bigger apartment to show you have arrived even when you can’t afford it, pause and tell yourself JESUS LOVES ME JUST AS I AM and I need not prove anything to anyone.