So today my wife opened up the SNAP (that’s the shorter, easier-to-say name for the Stanly News and Press, our local paper here in the old hometown) and scared me when she laughed really loud in amazement. I wondered what it was but didn’t have to wait too long before she volunteered to read to me what had caught her off guard.
Seems that our local legend, Kellie Pickler, is coming out with her second album in the not-so-distant future, and she got interviewed about it. Hidden in the write up was this little gem:
The album’s lead single, “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful,†is an up-tempo, positive message about inner beauty and addresses the issues of body image and societal pressures on young women.
Hmmm. Does anyone else see the irony in that, or was it just my wife and me? Nice new shoes, there, Kellie. Apparantly, inner beauty wasn’t enough for you. It’s a shame, too, because the song’s message really is one that young women need to hear, and with the way you skyrocketed to a place where they’ll hear what you say, I think you could have delivered it, too. But actions, as they say, really are louder than words, and yours may very well drown out what you had hoped to say.
Just because you choose to wear makeup, change your hairstyle, lose weight, or improve or change your external appearance – you need to be true to yourself within. I don’t see any change at all in Kelli’s sweetness and down-home southern charm that comes from within. No matter what others say about her – she knows she is beautiful just the way she is NOW. My hair is gray, but I choose to have it colored because of my own preference when I look in the mirror. Do you have an image problem when you shave the hair off your face…or your wife shaves her legs and underarms? Or is that your preference? Give the girl some slack and love her just the way she is…good grief.
That’s a great point, one that my wife and I discussed quite a bit, too. But she admits in the article I linked to that she feels more mature now because of the surgery. My point is that something external probably shouldn’t drive something internal. I’ve got gray hair, too, but if I colored it it wouldn’t change how I see myself, only how others see me. To me, it’s all about motivation and there’s a lot of pressure on her to “look” the part. So she did what she felt she had to do, and the point here is why did she feel that if inner beauty is so much more important? It’s just very ironic – like a bodybuilder winning titles but telling boys they shouldn’t do steroids because they’re bad for you. It’s not a personal attack on Kellie – just an observation about the irony of what she did vs what is on the album.
Kellie signed my senior yearbook twice. I’m currently taking offers…