Real Beauty is…Real!

November 2, 2007

Main Point of Discussion: Our perception of beauty has been completely distorted by the media and modern technology, which is why we need to go back to God’s definition of beauty from the Bible.

The Video Clip- Dove Evolution

The Dove Evolution clip is one of the most popular You Tube hits this month. At the time of this write up, it had more than 5 million hits, and continues to grow every day. The buzz generated for the video has also been fueled by bloggers, who have made the video one of the Top 15 most-linked-to videos among bloggers, according to blog-tracking service Technorati. The popularity of the film has spilled over to mainstream media, with featured segments on television shows “The View,” “Ellen,” “CNN,” “Entertainment Tonight” and Fox's “Geraldo,” all within the last two weeks.
It is basically a campaign by Dove to help young women develop an appropriate reality based the definition of beauty.

Introducing the Clip:
Today I want to show you a clip from You Tube called ‘Dove Evolution’. As you watch it, think about how you define beauty.

Let’s take a look.

Show the You Tube clip ‘Dove Evolution’- which can be found at this site: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

Transitional Statement:
This clip does an excellent job of showing the incredible distortion tactics that go in to making people ‘beautiful’ and setting up unattainable standards- especially for women.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

AROUND THE CIRCLE: Before we begin, name some actors/actresses you might consider ‘hot.’

AROUND THE CIRCLE: Do you think these people really look like the way they do on the big screen? Why or why not?

AROUND THE CIRCLE: Why do advertisers and Hollywood feel they can’t put up a real person as an example of beauty?

ASK A FEW: How would you define ‘beauty’?

Read the following passage:

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

ASK A FEW: What does the verse tell us “don’t be concerned” with? What are some examples of how kids at your school become “concerned” with stuff like this?

ASK A FEW: Do you ever become concerned with this stuff?

ASK A FEW: What does the verse say to instead “clothe ourselves with?” Describe someone that you know that has some of these “unfading” qualities?

ASK A FEW: Would anyone describe you as having any of these “unfading” qualities? Why or why not? Would you like to have some of these?

ASK A FEW: How does this passage relate to the Dove video?

ASK A FEW: What’s the downside to constantly being concerned about just outward beauty?

ASK A FEW: What does inner beauty look like?

AROUND THE CIRCLE: What positives come out of focusing on inner beauty?

ASK A FEW: How would focusing on inner beauty help us not get so hung up on outer beauty?

ASK A FEW: In the clip we saw the female version of focusing on outward beauty, what do you think the male version of this would look like?

ASK A FEW: What’s the connection between a distorted sense of beauty and low self-esteem?

AROUND THE CIRCLE: How does our distorted view of real beauty show up in negative behaviors? (i.e. pornography, anorexia, etc.)

AROUND THE CIRCLE: Name one way that you could focus on your inner beauty instead of your outer beauty this week.

Wrap Up:
Tonight we’ve been discussing the whole area of distorted vs. real beauty. Isn’t it amazing that Peter gave us a warning against focusing too much on external beauty almost 2000 years ago? What that tells us is that God is highly concerned that we don’t get caught in the ‘photoshop’ trap of judging our worth and value with how we measure up to what is really unattainable. Tonight I want to challenge you to think about how much time and emotional energy is put into trying to match society’s distorted definition of beauty, and how you can bring balance to your life by focusing on inner beauty. One great way to do this is to remember that because you have a relationship with Jesus, you have the power through Him to become more like Him every day- and that is the greatest inner beauty possible!

Close in Prayer – (give invitation)
Right now I want everyone to close their eyes and think about themselves and not those around you. If you are sitting here and you’re thinking, “I can’t try to be more like Jesus because I don’t know if I have a relationship with Him.”

If you’d like that relationship with God, tell Him. Ask Him to forgive your sins. If you’re willing to truly trust in Him, tell Him that you’re ready to turn away from the world’s obsession with outer beauty and focus on being like Christ..

There may also be Christians here who are really struggling with the things we’ve talked about. Tonight give your struggles to Christ, and let Him make you beautiful from the inside out.

Written by Lane Palmer