The idea of 'original face'
I saw something on Instagram recently that I keep thinking about. It was about this idea called your "original face."
It's a Buddhist idea, and it probably goes much deeper than what I'm about to say.
I think technically it's a Zen question used in meditation, something like "what was your original face before you were born?" Pointing to the self that exists underneath all the layers of who you think you are. But in terms of beauty and self, it's sometimes reframed in a different way.
The bit I really loved was the idea that how you actually are, how you feel, how you treat people, is what comes through in your face more than anything else. That kind people look kind. That warmth shows up. That the way you move through the world is what people are really seeing when they look at you.
Which feels like such a lovely thing to hold onto, especially right now, when we're constantly being told how we should change to look a certain way. Diet culture is back, and everyone seems to be getting botox or peels.
It kind of means the most beautiful thing about you is just you. Because when someone looks really good, it's not usually because they've had something done. It's because they look like themselves. Relaxed, comfortable, at ease. That's the bit that actually comes through, and matters.
And honestly, it made me think of you lot. Because one of the things I love most about this group is how kind everyone is. The way you cheer each other on, the gentle words when someone's having a wobble, the encouragement when someone shares an outfit they're nervous about. That's a beautiful thing, and by this logic, it's literally showing up on your faces.
Which feels like a lovely thing to know.
It also ties into a lot of what we talk about here. The clothes, the colours, the shapes that work for you, none of it is really about looking different. It's about looking more like yourself. Feeling at home in what you're wearing, so the bit of you that's already there can come through.
Maybe that's the whole thing really. Style, your face, all of it. The more you stop fighting yourself, the more you look like you. And that's always the bit people respond to.
Anyway, I just thought it was a nice way of looking at it and wanted to share it with you all.
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