Letter from the editor: On beauty
September 2, 2009 by Aimee Heckel
Filed under Letters from the Editors, Perspective
I have a text saved in my phone from eight months ago. Occasionally, while flipping through my phone, the text pops up.
“You are yourself. That’s the beautiful thing. You are wonderful. Maybe with some depth now. All things that matter in life are deep. Scars, emotions, tears.”
Photo by Iman Woods (www.imanwoods.com). Make-up by Kristen O'Niel. Hair by Amy Martinez.
The text is from my childhood friend, Laura. It came shortly after I had surgery on my uterus, and I was struggling with feeling beautiful in my new scarred body.
Today, I rarely think about my scars. But I cannot delete that text. It seems every day I need to read it, for different reasons.
That’s what girlfriends are for. They hold up a mirror to you to show you the strength you already have. They know your quirks and moods and faults, and they love you anyway. No, they love you even more. Because a good friend sees you. And it’s in that truth is where beauty resides. A friend reminds you that you are beautiful — because “you are yourself.” No other condition.
This month — in celebration of the one-year anniversary of our relaunch of Women’s Magazine — is the beauty issue. But we don’t talk about how to lose weight, put your eyeliner on straighter or impress your husband’s coworkers.
We talk about real beauty. Seeing beauty in the body you were born with (“Man hands,” in Twists of Fate). And celebrating the beauty of your body as it changes (photographer Iman Woods’ “Red Hot Mamas” featured story).
Our cover story follows a woman struggling with the concept of womanhood as she debates whether to pre-emptively remove her breasts to minimize her risk of cancer.
As our “Shopping in Five” model says, beauty is truth. And in that, there is beauty in everything. We hope this issue serves as your own personal Laura, a reminder that you are wonderful, in and of yourself.
— Aimee
aimee@womensmag.com
