I’ve been thinking lately about how much effort we women put into looking good. I mean, think about it. First, there is the time we spend. Like, HOURS and HOURS of every week. Second, the money we spend. It’s a multi-kazillion dollar industry. Lastly, the mental effort we spend. We think, critique, agonize, patronize, stress, judge, compare, and get depressed.

Here’s a quick run-down of SOME of the things we torture ourselves with (and yes, I’m guilty of more than a few of these).

• Shave, wax, laser hair removal
• Tanning, both real and fake
• Makeup including eyelash torture devices and spiderleg falsies
• Hair cut and color
• Spanx
• Padded bra
• Teeth straitening and whitening
• Botox and more drastic plastic surgery
• Fake nails
• Deprivation diets or eating disorders
• Up-to-the-minute fashion trends, even when they’re unflattering and expensive
• Flat-Iron or curling iron
• Masks, scrubs, Micro-dermabrasion, chemical peels, etc
• Goo, goo, and more goo from the “beauty” aisles. Not one aisle, but many

That’s insane. Seriously INSANE. Why do we do this to ourselves?? On tv, all you here is “If I look good on the outside, then I feel good on the inside.” Well THAT’S NOT TRUE and we all know it.

My goal here isn’t to knock basic hygiene, making ourselves presentable and even beautiful, or indulging in some simple pleasures. My problem is that I think we all try a little too hard. 

So. Here’s a goal. Let’s all just freaking ease up on ourselves. Let’s do the things we really care about and love. Some people LOVE to get a mani-pedi. That’s great! Some people naturally tan easily. Super! But let’s stop trying so hard to go against the beautiful, natural bodies Heavenly Father created for us. If we go too far against our natural selves it’s frustrating, depressing, time-consuming, and

JUST NOT WORTH IT.