Cyrano on Finding and Mentoring Love

Dear Cyrano,

The women I meet tend to be superficial without much depth or substance. Most seem to be slaves to the beauty and fashion industries. Don't women realize that what looks good on a so-called super-model ain't necessarily going to look good on them? I'm looking for women without a pound of crap on their faces and preferably women who read more than beauty magazines and grocery store trash rags. Do women even know what inner beauty is?

Cyrano: I'm not a fan of the beauty or fashion industry. I don't buy into anything that presumes to dictate what beauty should be and that women need to live up to a preconceived notion of what they ought to own or need to purchase to be attractive. Having said that, what is inner beauty? Inner beauty is not something that can be packaged and turned into a consumable. However, when inner beauty is externalized it appears as individual action and communications such as attitudes, behaviours, manner of speech, non-verbal cues etc.

You see a woman's inner beauty through her confidence, poise and intelligence. She exudes a positive energy and emotional warmth. Inner beauty comes across through compassion, empathy and understanding. Her style of communication inspires trust and respect. She not only respects herself but she respects others for who they are. (Inner) beauty is not something you apply from a package or simply put on. It is developed through self-awareness, learning, effort and a real commitment to change. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that few realize that true beauty has little to do with physical appearance.


[Further discussions on inner beauty will be presented in subsequent guest Cyrano columns--ed]