Vixen Beauty Advice

What does it mean to be beautiful these days? The media makes it really confusing. I can’t decide if I should be ‘all about that bass’ and push for curves I may never have, or starve myself so I can look like the models in the ‘Free People’ catalogs.

There’s no doubt that standards of beauty have transformed throughout the years, but luckily some wisdom about beauty has managed to survive. I collected some ‘beauty-isms’ from some of my favorite vintage glam goddesses to share with you lovely Vixens, in hopes of shedding some light on the topic. Hope it inspires you to feel and be your most beautiful self!

1. Audrey Hepburn

There is nothing more magnetic than seeing a woman with passion for life. Some of the most beautiful women I’ve ever come across have smiles that light up their faces, and eyes that light up with them. It’s the kind of beauty that is infectious, but despite seeming so effortless, it can be challenging to always be that radiant.

Audrey says that ‘The happiest girls are the prettiest girls.” Sometimes even just faking a smile, will eventually bring on a real one. Fake it till you make it, darling.

2. Coco Chanel

Being yourself is hard. Oftentimes, we mold ourselves to the situation and the people that surround us. If someone tells us that we can be loud sometimes, we may find ourselves ‘toning it down’ in order to save our ‘friends’ the embarrassment.

Truthfully, we are who we are because of our crazy ‘-isms’. They make us beautiful and they attract the right kinds of people to us. Like people who will appreciate a rambunctious laugh that swallows the room, instead of wince from it. It is, as Coco says, where the beauty begins.

3. Elizabeth Taylor

I can’t even begin to count the times in which I didn’t have myself ‘together’. Looking ‘put together’ is often the last thing on my mind when times get tough. As my mascara runs down my face from whatever drama has decided to infiltrate my life, it can be refreshing to think back to Elizabeth Taylor’s words of wisdom.

Confidence to face any hardship can, in fact, be crafted. You do not need to ‘just’ possess it. It’s amazing what a little lipstick, or a new haircut, or even the right pair of heels can do to your posture and your attitude. While you don’t need any of these things to be confident, sometimes they can help you feel like the badass you are.

4. Marilyn Monroe

When it comes to beauty, I’ve come to know two truths in this day and age: Everyone is beautiful and I have no idea what beautiful is. These seem contradictory at first, but when you think about it, they really aren’t. My definition of beautiful is very different then your definition of beautiful and who we find beautiful will differ. Therefore, I can’t really define it. It is a je ne sais quois that everyone harbors within.

WHO appreciates it may vary, but, it’s there nonetheless. I feel lucky that I’m growing up in a period of time where standards of beauty are being challenged and people are beginning to appreciate various kinds of beauty. Whether you’re a size 0 or you’re not is irrelevant. You’re beautiful. Go forth and surround yourself around the kinds of people who see it and appreciate it.

5. Sophia Loren

The older I get the harder it gets to try to not notice the parts of me that don’t look as vibrant as they used to. As our ex-boyfriends start dating younger women and the celebrities in the media start looking like they are in high school, it can be challenging not to yearn for a so called ‘fountain of youth.’

Like fine wine, there are certain things that age brings forth, that really do get better with time. As Sophia Loren says, to ‘truly have defeated age’, we must cultivate within us the qualities that are timeless. In this way, our beauty will never fade.

6. Twiggy

I’ve always liked bright colors. I was told once by someone that I was in love with, that I dressed too flashy. It nearly crushed me, and I found myself reaching for the duller more demure items in my closet, trying to be someone I wasn’t (See #2).

When it comes down to it, I love my sense of style. It is crafted by me and it is a part of me and when I first read this quote, I felt for the first time an obligation to wear something I loved so much. When you are yourself, you unleash your beauty and happiness which spreads to those around us. It is your duty.