What it means to be a Real Man

Lecrae talks about what it means to be a Real Man. We live in a culture today where a lot of young men are confused about what it means to be a man and lack positive male role models. Lecrae mentions how his father left when he was a toddler which left Lecrae looking up to his uncles who were abusive men.

When does a boy become a man in our culture today? When he loses his virginity? When he drinks his first beer? Our modern culture lacks any clear definition of what a real man looks like which can lead to a lot of confusion. We are human, which means we will adapt to our environment. If we have a culture that lacks any clear definition of what a positive picture of manhood looks like, can we then expect our boys to grow up and naturally become good men?

A new standard of beauty

Amber Starks gives an inspiring TED talk about the need to create a new beauty standard in our culture, a standard where uniqueness is valued. Amber tells the story about how growing up she didn't consider herself beautiful because of the very narrow beauty standard that she saw everywhere.

If you could change one thing about your body what would you change?

This short video made by the jubilee project is so wonderful! I love how the kids and the old lady in the video view their bodies. We all have a choice don't we? We can choose to expose ourselves daily to the narrow beauty ideals that are found in media and the culture and accept them. If we are constantly looking for faults on our bodies we will probably find them, but if we choose to look at ourselves through a different lens we will see something entirely different. We will start to see the unique beauty that each one of us have, and we will become appreciative of our wonderful bodies. It all comes down to a choice, we can embrace ourselves (and others) or dislike our bodies. I choose to be comfortable in my own skin! :)