Physical Appearance


LDSDude12
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I have a question and I was wondering if others could help.

This world seems to place so much importance of the physical appearance and beauty. Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair for those who are blessed with being physically beautiful. I know life isn't fair but its hard not to think about sometimes.

We talk about the resurrection in how we will have perfect bodies. Does that mean that I will be physically attractive at that time? I know the atonement makes up for all injustices eventually. Will we not care about appearances anymore?

I remember the scripture that Heavenly Father looks upon the heart rather than just the outward appearance like man does. But it would be so nice to be beautiful or handsome both outside and inside for the eternities. It just seems like for those who are beautiful now, they will have the best of both worlds. Yes, beauty fades over time...but when we are resurrected we will look like we did when we are young...for eternity. Problem is, what if you don't look pretty when you are young either?

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We talk about the resurrection in how we will have perfect bodies. Does that mean that I will be physically attractive at that time? I know the atonement makes up for all injustices eventually. Will we not care about appearances anymore?

You run into trying to define some sort of universal definition of physically attractive* that transcends hormones and culture. Now I don't recall any resurrected beings being described as ugly, but it could be that other considerations such as glory overshadowing such considerations in the beholder's mind. Really, anything posited, to my knowledge, is just speculation. I don't think there is anything of substance on the subject.

* And does that definition allow for variation? Or will all the men look like clones of X ideal and women Y ideal?

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The way I have understood our perfected bodies is that it will be like it was when we were in our "prime". We will still have our own personal unique characteristics like hair color, thickness, and straight/curliness; size, body build and structure, etc. We will, however, bear no scars or other flaws. We will be in perfect health and have our greatest physical abilities- toned and strong. This does not mean we will be what the world terms "beautiful".

That is why it is important for us to recognize the true beauty of our unique bodies and shapes. We must learn to be happy with ourselves the way we are and not strive to fit one set image that society says is "perfect". What the world things perfection is and what perfection truly is are very different.

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The way I have understood our perfected bodies is that it will be like it was when we were in our "prime". We will still have our own personal unique characteristics like hair color, thickness, and straight/curliness; size, body build and structure, etc. We will, however, bear no scars or other flaws. We will be in perfect health and have our greatest physical abilities- toned and strong. This does not mean we will be what the world terms "beautiful".

That is why it is important for us to recognize the true beauty of our unique bodies and shapes. We must learn to be happy with ourselves the way we are and not strive to fit one set image that society says is "perfect". What the world things perfection is and what perfection truly is are very different.

That makes sense but its also hard to understand right now. I just struggle in understanding why some were blessed with beauty...they get the best of both worlds. It just seems so unfair. For example, am I always to be short? Why can't I be taller? Why are some blessed with the ideal both in this life and the next?

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Ether 12:27 reads,

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Just as every man and women has weaknesses, they also have strengths. Perhaps he wont make you look beautiful/handsome, but instead give you strength in it's place, such as increase your own confidence.

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That makes sense but its also hard to understand right now. I just struggle in understanding why some were blessed with beauty...they get the best of both worlds. It just seems so unfair. For example, am I always to be short? Why can't I be taller? Why are some blessed with the ideal both in this life and the next?

We cannot help our genetics. Some are naturally pretty; some have to work to be pretty; some accept their physical "ordinariness", but find other ways/talents to stand out. Sometimes "pretty" is safe; it can keep one from exploring/fulfilling their potential.

It can be difficult in our culture, which seems to be so focused on "the beautiful people" to be ordinary. So many teens getting plastic surgery, to try to look perfect.

Life is not always fair. It is what we make of it, what we choose do with what we are given, that will count; not the genes we inherit. Do not focus on what you feel to be your physical shortcomings/imperfections. Instead, focus on your strengths, your talents, and go as far as you can with them.

In the end, physical beauty fades; if that is all you had going for you, then you are left with nothing.

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I have a question and I was wondering if others could help.

This world seems to place so much importance of the physical appearance and beauty. Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair for those who are blessed with being physically beautiful. I know life isn't fair but its hard not to think about sometimes.

We talk about the resurrection in how we will have perfect bodies. Does that mean that I will be physically attractive at that time? I know the atonement makes up for all injustices eventually. Will we not care about appearances anymore?

I remember the scripture that Heavenly Father looks upon the heart rather than just the outward appearance like man does. But it would be so nice to be beautiful or handsome both outside and inside for the eternities. It just seems like for those who are beautiful now, they will have the best of both worlds. Yes, beauty fades over time...but when we are resurrected we will look like we did when we are young...for eternity. Problem is, what if you don't look pretty when you are young either?

You can search some of my previous posts but this is one of my favorite topics, not necessarily beauty but the differences between the mortal body and the resurrected body.

I may have some differing views than most, but just to put this out there, there are a few things to think about.

God created Adam and Eve's physical body. The Fall of Adam corrupted his body. We do not know how fallen is "fallen" but I would imagine we have fallen pretty far as most resurrected, perfected bodies include some description of "beyond all description". In my opinion, the only loss of hair to cover the "not one hair lost" idea is not with aging or male pattern baldness or cancer therapy etc. but the loss that occurred with Adam's fall. It is pretty clear that Jesus overcoming death, resurrection, is directly related to Adam's fall and the changes that occurred with the Fall. Resurrection, therefore, restores all that was lost with the Fall.

The other thing to remember is that our bodies are described as corrupted. The corruption in part, I believe, is death itself or the dying process. It may also be (and this is where it is purely my opinion, not gospel) the corruption of genetics. The drifting away from the original creation, the perfect creation becomes corrupted with genetic drift, mutations, adaptations, recombination etc., I believe is part of the corruption. All the things that happened in terms of genetic variation and mutation have to be corrected and taken back to perfection as well in the resurrection. (Again, that is my opinion, for whatever that is worth) Why did Adam live so long? Why don't we live that long now? ... Some would say it's because they were more righteous back then, I don't know, there are some pretty righteous valiant people around now ... it is because the mortal body is in a state of continual corruption and drift from the original creation.

I cannot see how we will keep the appearance of transgression forever. We are told that we can have Christ's image in our countenance, that we can be like Him in every way. I truly believe that.

Also, take into account the fact that pretty much everyone's appearance, likely (I can't prove it) is as a result of someone's sin in the past. My great great great ... grandparents that lived in savage lands of Europe or Central America at some point were either attacked by another savage group or they attacked another group and took to wive members of the other tribe or group, etc. To say that I will keep the "mark" of all my ancestry's choices and likely sinful acts forever, does not seem likely to me. The "mark" of our appearance could also be affected by diseases. If one of my ancestors had Marfan's syndrome and so decided to marry someone tall to match his height, now we have "tall" genes mixed in because of a disease. Or if one's ancestors happened to live in an area of limited resources and so they were smaller in stature and moved to another area would marry into a set of genes to match their height. mixing in those set of genes mostly due to environmental factors. Without even describing what "perfect" or beautiful is, the variables we have in this life are mostly related to carnal, corrupted factors that I don't think are going to be part of the next life.

One other thing to consider is that your current body is given to you only temporarily, we know this existence is to receive a body from which we could show the true nature of our desires. We are tested as to where we put our faith and focus. Just like the love of money, I think there are some that love themselves, including their appearance. The pride that is associated with loving any aspect of the body anyone was given temporarily is to love the things of this world, by definition. I think there will be a lot of sorrow for anyone who longs to keep their earthly appearance in the next life, as if somehow it was theirs to begin with, as if they had some claim to that set of genes. We don't take anything with us into the next life but our spirits, we leave behind the genes of our temporary corrupted body.

Edited by Seminarysnoozer
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Hi, LDS Dude;

Thanks for bringing this topic up. It seems you are having a tough time with this, I'm sorry to hear.

Yeah, when I grew up, for some reason for the girls in our family especially, we grew up thinking physical beauty was the end all. There can be several reasons; but, that's not what is important at this point.

I've come to realize that I'm just average in my looks. I don't consider myself really ugly or stunningly beautiful either. Just average. I consider my mother beautiful though. She emulates such a glow. She is going to be 74 in August and still runs 3-4 times a week (takes care of her health...) and lives the gospel with a vengeance. While I am often told I look the most like her (compliment) I believe she is so beautiful to me because of her chosen lifestyle. Like I said; she just glows!

I believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder :-) But to answer your question about how we'll look in the hereafter, I've often wondered if we will be able to choose what physical appearance we will have, if we so desire. I've always wanted naturally curly hair, why not make it so in the eternities? I don't see why we wouldn't have these options (shorter, taller, different nose, body structure, etc.) if this is truly what we would want.

I really appreciate the comments earlier, though, on working with what we've been given in this life. There's a lot of beauty in taking care of the precious gift of our physical bodies and our spirit right now. Self confidence also goes along way in being perceived as attractive....

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P.S. I also thought of the quote in Isaiah in reference to the Savior: "He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire Him. "

I believe this is all in reference to His physical appearance; what is more important to me though, is what comes next; "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted." This paragraph gives me a lot of comfort when I feel rejected by others for looks, or any other reason, for that matter.....

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I believe that we will still look like ourselves but perfected. I cannot believe that our loving Heavenly Father wants us to all look like clones. Society's view of beauty during this day and age is different from what was considered beautiful 100 years ago. Different cultures consider diferent things beautiful. I agree with what has been said about physical deformities and scars and things. Those will be taken care of in the resurrection. Also remember that the word "perfect" in scriptural lauguage means "complete" not "beautiful in the view of society". I had to struggle with my body self image long and hard before I came to accept that I am beautiful. I do not fit the typical "American Beauty" standards but I know that I am beautiful to m husband and beautiful to my Father in Heaven when I follow his comandments. I love going to the temple and seeing everyone dressed in white. There is a glow that makes everyone beautiful. That is how I imagine the celestial kingdom to be. Everyone still looks like themselves to some extent and everyone looks beautiful beacuse we will no longer judge beauty by society's standards. We will judge it by heaven's standards.

Just my thoughts,

Mags

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That makes sense but its also hard to understand right now. I just struggle in understanding why some were blessed with beauty...they get the best of both worlds. It just seems so unfair. For example, am I always to be short? Why can't I be taller? Why are some blessed with the ideal both in this life and the next?

Are you always to be short? Maybe. We don't know.

Why can't you be taller?

Could be genetics, disease, nutrition, physical damage.

Why are some blessed with the ideal physical appearance? Because people define physical beauty. At one point, being 'Rubenesque' was an ideal of beauty. Ancient China thought yellow teeth were beautiful.

Since people define physical beauty, some people are defined as better.

But I assume you have a different reason for posting this. You're feeling unattractive, perhaps? You are lonely because you haven't found your eternal companion? I would assume from the tone there's a reason deeper than what you're posting here. Can you clue us in? We might be able to help.

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Everyone will be beautiful in the after life, but you will still be you. Hosnestly I can't think of a single person who isn't beautiful. Sure, we have flaws that disguise some of it, I hate my hair, my nose is shaped weird, people have glasses (that I don't see as ugly, but some do.) messes up teeth, things like that, but that will all be gone. I think when the flaws are gone, we will see how lovely everyone is. As it is now, I try to see past flaws and for me the hardest flaws to see past are my own. But I am lucky enough that my husband and family and friends see past them.

I know it seems unfair, but neither is the fact that I don't have enough money to replace my worn shoes or that my step children live with their mom when she mistreats them and keeps them from their dad. Point being that we all have challenges, perhaps some stuggle with not feeling atractive, it's hard, but try to get past it. Look for the beauty in everyone and they will see it in you.

I also agree with the other posts and echo them. Good luck!

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Are you always to be short? Maybe. We don't know.

Why can't you be taller?

Could be genetics, disease, nutrition, physical damage.

Why are some blessed with the ideal physical appearance? Because people define physical beauty. At one point, being 'Rubenesque' was an ideal of beauty. Ancient China thought yellow teeth were beautiful.

Since people define physical beauty, some people are defined as better.

But I assume you have a different reason for posting this. You're feeling unattractive, perhaps? You are lonely because you haven't found your eternal companion? I would assume from the tone there's a reason deeper than what you're posting here. Can you clue us in? We might be able to help.

FunkyTown, I think you are right, there is an underlying reason for his question and I hope he expresses it but he may not.

I think though the perception that what a person gets in this life is always a "blessing" is where part of the problem lies. The interesting thing to me is that in LDS beliefs we easily say "we don't take it with us into the next life" with pretty much every earthly blessing, power, money, influence etc. but for some reason can't say the same thing about our individual body pattern. The servant in the field doesn't get to claim that exact field after he works in it.

I think for some 'beauty' is the challenge just like for some 'money' is the challenge in this life, both high and low earthly perceptions of each. When the test is over the test is over, we don't carry these same circumstances of testing into the next life. Just like there wont be money in the next life to contend with (at least in the Celestial Kingdom), there will not be a need for such things, there is also no need for any kind of physical variability, that I can think of. We will recognize everyone on a spiritual level, there is no need to distinguish anyone from anyone else if we are all "one". There is no physical attribute that a neighbor might have in the celestial kingdom that another will be left without.

I guess the thing I don't understand is most LDS are okay with leaving behind all earthly possessions except the genetic pattern of their body. I don't understand how the unique genetic pattern of one's body is somehow any less self-centered than anything else one would 'own' in this world. He even calls it a blessing that will continue but we know that any 'blessing' here translates into a requirement for more expected. And the high shall be made low and the low shall be made high. Our testing condition, including the genetic pattern of our bodies, is just part of the test, not a reflection of the value of the treasures we will have in the next life.

The contradiction here too is that most are saying physical appearance shouldn't matter and yet they hold onto this idea that they don't want to be "clones". If physical appearance really doesn't matter, then being a "clone" wouldn't matter either, we can't have it both ways. Why is being a "clone"so repulsive unless really appearance does matter? I don't think people that have a repulsion to being a "clone" are being truthful about the idea of not caring about appearance.

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Who has the authority to define what is beautiful? Only Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do.

Posted Image

This is considered beautiful in a tribe in Africa.

My little sister considers brown haired men as ugly, very very light blond - almost whitish hair men as beautiful while I consider blond/light brown hair as ugly and dark brown/black hair as beautiful.

I remember hearing from a man once who considered skinny women as ugly and fat/obese women as beautiful.

We are not perfect, everyone has their own definition of beautiful. What is important is that we accept our own bodies as beautiful - not worry what others think of our bodies. Of course we want to make ourselves look nice - that is important too. But we shouldn't compare our bodies to other people... we should never compare anything about ourselves to other people.

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what is beauty any way if you look at history what was once considered beautiful today is not.

As to size just what is the right size are some really too tall, too short, to full body, to skinny?

Here is how I look at when I am resurrected I get to get my thick black wavy hair back, get to be my original height and feel great no aches no pains and health issues. Do I look good yep to me and that is the only one that has to like the way I look me.

It sounds like you are dealing with the worlds view of looks and that is sad as the worlds view of what a guy or girl should look like is totally driven by greed.

As to some looking better in this life and getting all the attention, it is a good thing as they are being tempted in so many ways, vanity, self centeredness, rudeness, thinking they are better than others. Now do you really want those challenges to deal with and maybe explain one day?

Be yourself and people will one day see the inner beauty.

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Suggesting that the OP is somehow about 'defining beauty' in this world is ignoring the deeper question, that is a misunderstood perception (I think) of the idea that we take our carnal, corrupted selves into the next life. And that a 'blessing' in this life translates into a 'blessing' earned in the next life. To me, that is where the OP concerns are misplaced, not this world's definition of beauty. We could say things about defining what the world's definition of 'rich' is and get bogged down in that discussion making it seem that there is no such thing as 'rich', the point is we don't take it with us.

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I have known some very pretty women and men who see theirs looks as a handicap in life. Why because everyone can see their looks but the person just gets lost in the process.

As to height I was a runt and wimp until I was almost 16 then I started to grow ended up being 6 foot 4 inches and 265 pounds and no fat. Now I am 6 foot 1 1/2 since I broke my back and weight 246 pounds and am bald. Do I look sexy have no clue really don't care as I am me and that is all I care about.

As to what we will look like in the next life I am waiting for someone to come back and fill me in on that one. No one has come back yet so it must be a fun place to be.

Now as to blessings in this life being tied to looks please show me that one in holy writ. I missed that in almost 50 years of studying the scriptures and I would really like you to point this out for me.

I know of blessings for health, of understanding and of answer to prayers but that one on looks and it being taken into the next life??

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I have known some very pretty women and men who see theirs looks as a handicap in life.

These are people who have never lived their lives as unattractive. Let them live their lives after a tragic, disfiguring plane crash and then say how much of a handicap their lost beauty had been. Beautiful people simply have it easier in this life. Period.

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Without having a single scrap of evidence to back me up...

Yes, I do believe we will be beautiful in the eternities due to our perfected resurrected bodies.

What that beauty will mean? I haven't the slightest idea. As has been said, beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder. It's a matter of culture and personal preference.

I think our bodies will be at physical perfection and that we will be without deformities and such. We will be healthy and fit. We will be, by all biological definitions, perfect.

As for size and color, I think genes have already determined it.

I'm going to go with a Twilight comparison for this...

In Twilight, the vampires technically looked just like they had as mortals. Same hair color, features, what not. Yet as vampires they were all drop-dead (pun intended) gorgeous.

I enjoy thinking it might be the same deal.

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I'm going to go with a Twilight comparison for this...

In Twilight, the vampires technically looked just like they had as mortals. Same hair color, features, what not. Yet as vampires they were all drop-dead (pun intended) gorgeous

You brought Twilight in to a Gospel-ish discussion. You used Twilight as an example! Oh... My... Word! There cannot be enough discipline for using Twilight in any discussion, ANYWHERE! :eek:

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You brought Twilight in to a Gospel-ish discussion. You used Twilight as an example! Oh... My... Word! There cannot be enough discipline for using Twilight in any discussion, ANYWHERE! :eek:

Sister Vort loves Twilight. Therefore, so do I (even though she refuses to allow me to read it).

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