Tipping the Scale: What is Crown Saying about Perfection?

by: Miriam Orr

Youre standing on one side of a scale. Well, actually, youre standing on the ground
inside the scales tray, the other side high into the air. Youre wondering why that person is
higher than youand then you realize: that person has been deemed perfect.
But wait. Who sets the qualifications for a perfect person?
Since we're on a Christian campus, the automatic response would be "God". Well, let's be
honest with ourselves--we don't always look at people the way God does. Perhaps that's one of
the reasons God is so amazing and magnificent; He loves us for who we are and calls us perfect
when the rest of the world deems us imperfect or below par.
My best friend (no, she isn't a Crownie) and I got into a discussion about body image
over a song. The song isn't a Christian song, but presents a strong argument for body image in
Hollywood and Bollywood alike: it's okay to be a size 18 instead of a size 2. A powerful
message in a world which is made up of a variety of sizes.
So, our argument grew and left me frazzled. I was fighting for the song while she was
against it, saying that we shouldn't be divided on such an issue. My argument was that it didn't
matter if we were supposed to be unified; the fact of the matter is we aren't.
And we are NOT unified on body imagine. Hollywood and Bollywood and magazines
have done a good job at brainwashing the world against a bigger waistline. This is not just a
personal opinion, either.
So, I took my concerns to the campusto you. I posed some questions to some friends of
mine, as well as some professors, and waited for a response on this matter. Surprisingly, I got the
most feedback from students. Not only did I ask some of you to answer my questions on body
image and society, but I also asked them for their responses on Miss Montana 2014 coming to
campus and talking to Crown.

Miss Montana, 2014, talked to Crown about Christianity in society. She proclaimed her
Christianity and told us about her testimony of living in a Christian home. Miss Montana also
talkedto a large extentabout her time at the Miss America pageant and how she met many
girls who shared her faith in Christ. She went on about the prayer time they had together and
their talks. But, as one student here on campus pointed out, she didnt talk much about her own
journey with God.
This student and I talked on Facebook, and his reply was as stated: She strategically
dodged almost all of the questions about her spiritual life. She had no problem coming up with
very clich Christian answers such as "read your Bible." She worked hard to keep the
conversation at surface level.
He went on to say that it was a good thing Miss Montana is a proclaimed Christian,
which in today's world is more or less looked down upon by the world. Overall, though his view
of the Miss Montana chapel was not a good one, he brought up a very interesting thought in his
next statement:
The guys sitting behind me were all hooting and hollering while many girls were
exclaiming "I wish I could look like that.she looked just like the world.
Miss Montana encouraged us about body image and beauty. I talked with a female
student from Crown who is a Junior this year about her perception of Miss Montanas message.
Jane* (name changed for confidentiality) stated that:
Its great shes carrying Jesus into Miss America. We need that here. Whats not so
great is that she shallowly talked about beauty, and gave us very surface, textbook
answers. Why? She doesnt struggle with beauty. She was in Miss America for goodness
sake! She doesnt know [the] struggle, she has people telling her everywhere that shes
gorgeous, men have her pinned up on their walls, shes an object of lust. Not saying shes
proud of that, but does she really know what shes talking about?
It would seem the underlying message here is that Miss Montana wasnt living her
message. It was clear she did not have any issues talking about herself, as many girls do. She
could talk all day long about the pageant and her experience there, but when it came to her
spiritual life, as my Facebook friend stated she strategically dodged all questions. Is Miss

Montana living her message to us students? Can we find validity and hope in her statement?
Some of these students say no, and some girls who openly admitted to me about their struggle
with low self-image say no too.
So, here's my question: Who really sets the standard for the perfect, most
beautiful, got-it-together person? Is it the Miss America pageant? Or maybe its Hollywood
where only fashion models and body builders get leading rolls in million dollar films.
Hollywood is a rough playing field for women, especially those proclaiming Christians.
In an interview, Seventeen Magazines Julie Miller talked with Candace Cameron Bure, childstar of TVs Full House. This is what she had to say for advice to her 17 year old self.
It's a thing that comes with age, and I wish I could have been more comfortable
with myself at 17 years old. I don't know how you tell someone to be comfortable with
yourself and confident in the person you are or that you were. I wish I had more
confidence in myself and didn't think about what other people thought of me so much.
Society sets the standard these days. As much as we, Crown College, would like to say
that God sets the standard, we would be very wrong in the secular world. The world does not see
God as the one setting the rules for who gets TV programs or who gets to be beautiful. The world
sets the standard for us, and its our job to change that standardand the minds that created it.
Scripture tells us about beauty in multiple verses: Ecclesiastes 3:11, Genesis 1:27, and 1 Peter
3:3-4.
Im not sure about you, but I'm very frustrated--and tired--of the world telling me I'm too
big to do anything. I can't be the next Transformers star because I'm not a model; I can't pose for
Lauren Conrad in fashion magazines, I can't model for Walmart.
Did God make a mistake when He made plus sizes? The answer is no. Theyre made just
as perfectly and beautifully in His image as Megan Fox is. God is a God of variety; He likes
difference. If we were all the same this would be a boring world and God wouldn't have created
all of us; he'd need a man and woman of the "perfect" build and then pffft, He'd be done.

The next question I was asked is this: The world needs to be unified in this, not divided-why can't you be unified in this? Well, to answer that question, the world isn't unified, and I
frankly don't think it ever will be. My Facebook friend agreed with me.
I am all for complete unity between all sizes of men and women. Will it ever happen?
No. I do believe Hollywood will always take the thinner, prettier, more handsome, more
athletic person over the contrary any day. I think the only situation where this doesn't
happen is in spoof films or if the character's role calls for them to be large, ugly, etc.
Comedy movies do this frequently.
The world around us has been so culturally backwards in its view of not only women, but
men as well, that some of us dont think it can ever go back. Jesus is a God of miracles, however.
I would answer the second part of the question like this: I want unity in society. I want us
to all look on each other and love us for who we are; I don't want Hollywood and media to
influence the view I have of myself and others. The fact of the matter is, though, right now I have
to accept me and my size, as well as my fellow people.
No one other than God sets the standard for appearance.
No one. Not Hollywood, not Miss America, not TVno one other than God sets the
standard for a perfect and beautiful person. It doesn't matter who we are--we can be loud
megaphones or quiet wallflowers and God still thinks we're perfect--perfect enough to die for,
perfect enough to descend into hell and redeem the keys of eternity for. People do not set the
standard for what's better or right or beautiful, God does that.
Everyone is precious. I see you and everyone else as just another human being that was
created by the Most High God like I was. I just don't understand how some are more acceptable
than I am in society. And I want people to be accepted--I do, really! I just want to be accepted
right alongside them. I just want a chance at Miss America. I just want a chance at the female
lead of Transformers 5.
We are God's creatures. He loves us all the same. The world, unfortunately, doesn't see it
that way. I'm not perfect because I'm big; you may not be perfect because you're too loud or
you may be too thin. The issue that we should be examining here on Crown isnt perfection,

really. The issue is that we all need to be ready to tell the world that our opinion doesn't matter;
and that Gods does.
So, Crown, you may be the next Transformers star (If I dont get if first!) or you may be
the next Miss America, or even the next big football star. My hope is that you get there through
hard-work, determination, and trust with God, not by your level of perfection.
Step off the scale! Hand over the measurements to GodHe knows what Hes doing
with them.