Fluttering eyes

When you look into the eyes of a newborn it is like looking into heaven; there is a reflection of purity, innocence and something so beautifully divine. It has often been said that ‘the eyes are the window to the Soul’.

This is so true as the eyes reveal all. We can all discern or read quite easily when someone is sad, not well, angry, disappointed, has low self-esteem or are broken hearted. The eyes are most often transparent in their communication, and the most revealing part of our body as to the state of our being.

When someone is full of life, joyful, confident and feeling great, there is often a sparkle in the eyes which reflects how they are feeling. To make a true connection with others, we use our eyes which can sometimes be an uncomfortable or confronting experience, if we do not want others to see what lies beneath.

It is evident today, from teenagers to adults, that there is a phenomenon of using false eyelashes or lash extensions. Enhancing the eyes in the name of beauty is not new, and has been used as a form of attraction since even Egyptian times where kohl was used to make the eyes more alluring, as well as offering protection from the heat and bright light reflected from the desert sands.

False eyelashes have been around in almost every decade in a much more subtle way than they are today, but the extremity of the size and thickness of the lashes could be telling us that women today are not feeling truly comfortable with their natural beauty and even who they are. What used to be a ‘special occasion’ accessory is now worn to work, the gym and the supermarket.

The proliferation of today’s lash extensions could be argued were being used to hide ‘the window to the soul’ and the innate beauty and delicacy of young women. The physical weight of the eyelashes weighs down the lids and can interfere with delicacy. It is not unusual to see someone wearing lashes so thick and long that they impede the free movement of the eyelid. Many of us as women are not comfortable in our own bodies. There can be an overwhelming need to add more to one’s appearance to be seen as attractive, yet this is in opposition to the self love we all yearn for and require. This change in our facial representation goes further with many adults, and younger and younger women having Botox injections to prevent lines, sometimes even before they have even started.

Today the beauty industry is a huge multimillion-dollar business. The eyelash trade, once an occasional treat, is part of the beauty business phenomenon. The longer and thicker the eye lashes are, the more attractive one is told to think they are. To have lash extensions today takes about 2 hours, costs around $150 and lasts around three to four weeks. Not only is it expensive but it is fraught with the risk of having permanent injury to the eyes. A glue is used to attach individual lashes to your own eyelash and can be done in three levels of thickness – and many these days prefer the heaviest look.

What lengths will we as women go to, to have fluttering eyes in the name of beauty? Eyes that can barely open due to the sheer weight; eyes whose sight we are risking in the so called name of beauty.

Is it possible that as women we could learn that there is a way to love who we are without feeling like we have to conform with the growing trends that are rife today? Women are bombarded constantly about how they should look on social media, by celebrities, fashion magazines and media. Body enhancements have gone to the next level with buttock implants, breast enhancements and all manner of plastic surgery, so you may say what is the harm in false eyelashes? The root of the harm is the attitude to the body – it is just a thing to project an image – and the being is completely and utterly neglected in the pursuit of the image. What damage is being done to the eyes in the name of beauty and is it just the beginning of further enhancements, of which none will ever satisfy the quest for the beauty industry.

When does it stop and when will we as women come to the realisation that we are already everything we need to be without having the need to alter our bodies in the name of beauty?

There is nothing more beautiful than looking into the eyes of a confident woman, who moves in the joy of knowing who she is. Fully connected to the being within, knowing the quality of her essence, which reflects the true beauty she is without perfection.

Eyes that sparkle with self-love and with a clarity that reveals the pathway to Heaven, no enhancements needed because no enhancement can provide what is naturally present within.

Filed under

Body image, Essence, Fashion, Self-worth