beguilingblackness asked: I'd like to take some time to thank you for your most thoughtful and gentle reply to my previous (eyebrow-related) question. I have to say that it got me thinking; you're a great role model for all of us! That said, have you noticed how some people can look absolutely gorgeous seemingly without paying much attention to their appearance? How is it that we find Neil Gaiman so adorable, yet it seems he never brushes that head of hair?
Oh, thank you darling! Carful, you’re making me blush~
We don’t have Neil Gaiman here in Equestria, but I did look up some pictures of him. I see what you mean about his hair! It’s got quite a disheveled look to it, but perhaps because I do not know him, his general appearance does not strike me as “adorable.”
His large nose, small eyes, and thin upper lip strike me as someone raw and passionate. But this is because judging by appearances only causes lots of problems, and we cannot judge someone without getting to know their inner beauty. (Inner beauty and outer beauty are different, but they are still related.)
Your world is full of films and television that sets up characters who look a certain way, and has trained you to expect a certain personality from them. There’s no malicious intent in it. Having those stereotypes allows you to believe the story more readily, because you are used to and accustomed to it.
However, when we meet people and ponies in our lives, there is always something much deeper than what we see on the surface, and a lot of that inner beauty seeps out and makes someone beautiful externally.
Have you ever noticed that? You might meet someone and think they’re positively gorgeous, but they don’t necessarily meet a particular cultural standard of beauty. This is because who we are on the inside is so important to how beautiful we are on the outside.
I know this is starting to sound rather trite, but I do really mean it. The care you put into your outer beauty should be the same care you put into your inner beauty, and vice-versa, of course.
So, perhaps Mr. Gaiman has a wonderful internal personality that your world finds so positively adorable in his laugh, or the way he brushes his impossibly tousled hair out of his eyes, or the way he talks. Or maybe it’s something deeper in his writing (because all good writers bare their soul on paper and you can get to know them rather well if you know where to look!).
Whatever it is, it’s a combination of external and internal beauty. I think that ponies and people often make the mistake of saying you can either have a “good personality” or you can be “pretty.” But real beauty is both. Real beauty comes from within and with-out. Like most things in life, it’s never a plain either-or option.
Anonymous asked: Hiya! c: What can I do when it's about acne scars?
Oh that is frustrating. There are a few things:
1) Patience. Scars are meant to heal over time. I’m told Vitamin E helps skin heal (though us ponies have a nice coat, so we usually don’t worry about skin problems).
2) Scar removal products should work on acne scars. Look up some of the best, read reviews, and talk to your doctor about your particular skin type. Health insurance likely won’t cover anything, because it’s a cosmetic treatment, but your doctor should be able to give you advice on what will be good for your skin.
3) Foundation. Even if you’re a colt, you shouldn’t be afraid to use a little make-up. It may not be culturally approved, but good foundation is invisible, and can work wonders for covering up acne, acne scars, birthmarks, freckles, etc.
NOT to say that any of those are bad things—freckles can be adorable, and acne is something that is unavoidable and temporary—but if any of those make you lose confidence in yourself, and you can’t find them beautiful, then you work with it.
Ultimately the best thing is to find confidence in what you look like. If you’re dissatisfied with something, work to love it or work to change it.
And just to be clear, when I say change, I mean a healthy change. If the changes you are trying to make are causing harm to your body or your spirit then stop. That’s not an appropriate change and it will not lead you to love yourself or your appearance. That’s part of what having friends is for, showing us where we are being unhealthy. Listen to your friends. They’ll let you know when your changes are good and when your changes are bad.
