What is the value of a woman?

The winner of last week's drawing for The Blue Enchantress is Laura Michelle Counts! who left a comment on my Facebook version of this post.
Thank you so much for entering, but today you have another chance, and one more chance next week!

The Blue Enchantress is a story very dear to my heart because I used to be just like Hope, the heroine. Because of a difficult childhood and growing up without a father, I was searching for value and love in any place I could find it. I used my feminine charms and outward beauty to attract the wrong type of attention, and I paid dearly for it. It wasn't until God pulled me up from the pit I had dug for myself, washed me off, and told me He loved me, that I finally found what I was looking for. Only in Him can any of us find true love and value.

What concerns me is the culture that surrounds us today, and in particular what message it is giving young ladies. Since my youth, that message has gone from a low whisper to a very loud shout, telling women that they have no value unless they "look" a certain way. Just glance over the magazines or flip on the TV and you'll be bombarded with ads for girls telling them how to lose weight, how to apply makeup, how to wear their hair, their clothes, etc. Beautiful women are flaunted across the TV screen in order to sell any product from cars to underwear. TV shows and movies are filled with gorgeous women. Where are all the normal looking women?

Women are used as objects intended for men's pleasure and the message rings loud and clear. "If you aren't beautiful, no one will love you." As a consequence, young girls who don't fit the bill are depressed. Many commit suicide, while others become bulimic or resort to plastic surgery. I know women in their 20's who are getting plastic surgery. $18.7 million dollars a year are spent in this country on surgeries trying to be beautiful.

That is why I wrote Hope's story. I want to show how valuable all women are in the eyes of God. I want to show women that they don't have to cheapen themselves and throw themselves at men. I want to show that type of life can only lead to agony and self-loathing. I want to show that true love looks on the inside and not on the outside. So, if you know some young women who struggle with this issue, I encourage you to give them a copy of The Blue Enchantress.

So, what about you? What are your thoughts on the topic? Do you struggle with this yourself? Do you know someone who does. Can we change the culture or is it too late? What can we do to help women today, and in particular young girls?
Leave a comment and I'll enter your name in a drawing for a free copy of the book!