Image, and Why it's Important

I gave Kalyn a ride to class this morning and we had the conversation as follows (as I pulled around a car dropping off a student and a boy was walking in front of it):

Kalyn: "Watch out for that thing!"
Me: "That thing?!" 
Kalyn: "Yeah. No human could wear jeans that tight."

This was proceeded by a lot of laughter, but after I dropped him off I started paying attention to what people were wearing and I thought half the students looked like they were gangster-wannabes or punk rockers on the side.  I think image is an interesting topic these days.  There are the "people of Walmart" people who clearly don't care what they look like at all.  They claim that they are free because they do whatever they want and don't give a rip.  Then there are those people who you swear must take three hours getting ready every morning and carry around an image emergency kit everywhere, because they never even have a hair out of place.  Those are the ones who constantly check themselves out in mirrors and windows because they are so obsessed with how they look. They often go on outrageous diets and work out enough to be 2% body fat.

I think both those kinds of people are a bit out of control.  Especially if you are thinking of a career out in the world.  In the professional world, whether we like it or not, image matters.  If you had the choice between shopping for groceries at a store with greasy employees, who smelled like BO and clearly never brushed their teeth, OR a store where the employees were clean, had cute smiles, and looked put-together, which would you choose?  Now that's an extreme example, but I make my point.

It's my opinion that we should look like we take care of ourselves and value the body that God gave us.  He compares the body to a temple; one of the most clean and sacred things on Earth.  However, this brings me to another point.

We should never go overboard.  My belief is that God wants us to be confident in ourselves, and everyone has a different way of feeling that way.  We need to have balance though.  My way is by working out.  If I feel physically strong, meet my goals as far as improving my mile time or my distance, and keep myself clean by showering and doing my hair, then I feel good about myself.  When I feel good about myself I am more productive.  I am more useful to people around me.

I take pride in the fact that I am not ashamed when I go out in public without makeup or think I have to work out for three hours to look good.  However, I also take pride in taking care of myself the best I can so that I don't feel like a slob.  I value my body as if it is a gift from God.  I am not perfect.  Sometimes I eat too much junk food and feel crummy.  Sometimes I go far too long without exercise or miss a shower (especially now that I have a baby).  I do put in an effort though.

All I can say, is that there is value in taking care of yourself, and your outside image often reflects how you feel about yourself.