You’re More Beautiful Than You Look! By Cornell Jermaine

Being a 20 year beauty industry professional I have seen and heard it all. Sisters at odds with mothers, wives stepping out on husbands and friends feuding and the list goes on. You wouldn’t imagine all the drama I’ve heard, witnessed and been privy to. But the lack of self love and self worth that I’ve witnessed out weighs it all. If I had a penny for every women I serviced that never fully realized her beauty I’d be the Warren Buffet of the Beauty Industry. A few years ago I realized my greater purpose more than ever before. It was like the more I served my gift of hairdressing the more foggy true beauty became. The main concern for many of the women I serviced was; when am I going to get my highlights? Is this style going to go with my dress? Or the classic question, how does this look on me? All of which are valid questions but if not carefully approached can overshadow and even disregard one’s real, true essence.

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalms 90:17, “let the beauty of the Lord thy God be upon us and establish the works of our hands upon us…” Here we clearly see that the real beauty that we posses has nothing to do with physical attraction or what we interpret as beauty. There is nothing wrong with being attractive or keeping yourself groomed. The issue ensues when you allow your physical appearance to displace the beauty that was given to you by Our Creator. He has fashioned us fearfully and wonderfully. And graced us with His beauty. It encompasses His brilliance, His magnificence and all His Splendor. Within each of us He deposited a purpose, I liken that purpose to a seed and once that seed has been deposited and activated it yields all the beauty and brilliance that was given to us for humanity. Just as we marvel at a trees gorgeousness as it begins to radiate all it’s beautiful colors as the seasons change. So are we to marvel at each others God given beauty, brilliance and splendor. But how can we if we are more focused on temporal physical expressions of beauty?

This is the question I asked myself some years ago as a beauty industry professional. I have the skills and talent to make one look like a dream. But I realized without the actualization of a woman’s true beauty, she’d only be kidding herself. Kidding herself out of all the supernatural, extraordinary magnificence that she possess. Many women know their worth and are very good at maintaining their grooming and their true beauty and knowing the difference between the two. But what about those young ladies that don’t have the correct role models? They don’t have a father at home to validate them and establish the necessary foundation, so that they grow into beautiful, productive, self-reliant women. Should those young ladies continue to take their lead from reality TV? Adapting to horrible examples of what a lady should be, while those they watch portray an image that most likely is the opposite of their true-self? I think not. We must help them put their life and priorities into perspective. Establishing a love for themselves that extends beyond the mirror or their significant other or the lack there of.

Somewhere deep inside I knew that it was necessary for me to offer my perspective to the matter and actively contribute to the development and evolution of womankind, particularly in the black community. It was with that in mind that I launched Beautify Enterprise LLC; A Female Empowerment Brand which works to help women beautify their lives from the inside out. In the beginning I was perplexed about it because I was conditioned to believe that women empower women and men empower men. Until I read the word of God. I saw that many women in the Bible had significant life altering encounters and experiences with God the Father through people of the opposite gender. The woman with the issue of blood, who healed her? A man (Mark 5:21-43). Consider Esther, who helped her in her journey to fulfill purpose? A man (Esther 4). And what about Mary and Martha, who did they run to for comfort when their brother died? A man (John 11).

I’ve come to understand that men play a vital role in the evolution of women. Many women are suffering and hurting simply because a man has not accepted his role in their life. I refuse to perpetuate the cycle. I refuse to let our women chase a false since of beauty while ignoring the true beauty within. I think women and girls everywhere should absolutely tend to their grooming, there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t neglect the true essence of who you are. Because be it hair color, extensions or a stylish cut none of it will ever be enough, if she looks in the mirror and fails to see the real beauty she was made to be.

Cornell Jermaine
Chief Empowerment Officer,
Beautify Enterprise LLC