by miss marigold
I've observed a negative stigma associated with plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures here in America. Still, the public in general seems fascinated with it - how many times have you seen an online article about Ashlee Simpson's nose job, John Kerry's botox procedure, and Star Jones' liposuction? A lot of the articles come off as speculative, but they still have negative overtones. Then there are the TV shows like Dr. 90210 or 10 Years Younger, which follow regular people as they get touched up.

In some countries, like South Korea, plastic surgery's pretty normal. A lot of girls get the double eyelid sugery or nose jobs. I'm not from South Korea, but I grew up near it and people in my area seem to be pretty open about it too.

While I haven't considered plastic surgery/cosmetic procedures for myself, I'm wondering how the Christian community feels about them. Keep in mind that I'm not talking about plastic surgery for people who really need it (burn victims, people with cleft palates or injuries, etc.) Most Christians I know disapprove of plastic surgery because it seems really vain to pay so much money to alter your physical appearance; not only that, but it undermines how God created you to look like.

How do you feel about plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures? Have you ever thought about getting it?

Growing up, and during recent weeks, I've heard the term "wholesome Christian girl" thrown around a lot - sometimes by guys who say they want to date one, sometimes by adults who encourage us frisky young females to be one, and sometimes by girls who doubt that they really are one.

This really got me thinking about the definition of a  "wholesome Christian girl." Somehow, the phrase rubs me the wrong way - maybe because I don't like molds or conforming to some collective standard without first being grounded in a Biblical understanding of what it means to be a wholesome Christian person - but what really strikes me are the different ways people interpret that ideal.

I hate to admit it, but my picture of a "wholesome Christian girl" is largely based on stereotypes. The first image my mind conjures when someone brings it up is of someone who wears little/no makeup, dresses head-to-toe in Gap clothing, has long hair, is involved in the praise team, does community service, says "golly" instead of "gosh," watches Gilmore Girls, has never had alcohol, has never been to a bar or a club (and has no desire to visit one, either), never been kissed, has never been on a date alone with a guy, only watches movies that are PG-13 and under, listens to Christian music exclusively, votes Republican, is called to be a pastor's wife/missionary/social worker/elementary school teacher, is an optimist, babysits the neighbor's kids.....

Yeah, so maybe the media and A Walk to Remember are largely responsible for that picture, so I'd really like to ask everyone what they imagine a wholesome Christian girl is. Of course, the Bible provides a lot of insight: "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is the be praised," being only one of several references to female character - as are the examples of female Bible characters - but how would you apply those ideals to the culture we live in?

Then of course, I'm sure guys and girls have somewhat different ideas of what a wholesome Christian is like.

Guys and girls, what does a wholesome Christian girl look like? Girls, would you consider yourself one?

NEXT TIME: "A Wholesome Christian Guy"