Painting your nails is a sin. Why Christian women can paint their nails and take care of their appearance. What not to do on church holidays

Metropolitan Athanasius of Limassol

Remain the way God created you, so that we treat ourselves beautifully first of all, so that we start with ourselves, so that we do not want to humiliate and ridicule ourselves. Sometimes they ask:

- Is it a sin to paint?

It's not a sin, paint how you want! But what is the problem? That you are changing yourself. Or you wear an earring - and the other looks at you and asks himself: how can you stand it? And why did he put it on his eyebrow? Okay, but doesn't it bother you like a fly is sitting on your forehead?

Or she comes to say something, and something hangs from her hair and enters her eye. Well, why is it all, children? Or some boots, and you have to make special efforts to keep your balance.

I really do ask myself that sometimes. I sit and look at them from above from the monastery, where silence reigns, and from afar I hear how the car stops, and she knock-knock-knock with her heels until she enters the temple. Inside, maybe they are reading the Gospel and there is complete silence. And then she says:

“I don’t go to church because when I go inside, everyone turns around and looks at me!”

Well, of course, they look if you alarmed people! How can a person not see what you put on and what you came here on! They got dizzy when they saw it!

Children, respect starts with yourself. Well, it is in the nature of a woman to adorn herself, this is true, and, of course, you need to wear good clothes. But only measure is needed. Beauty is in moderation. Extremes are superfluous, because then a person loses measure and can no longer understand what is right and what is not, because he does not have a sense of proportion, he has lost the feeling that by doing so he will challenge other people. When you say to him:

“My child, this is defiant! he asks you:

- And why? How can it be provocative?

He does not understand this, because he no longer has a measure.

We must learn to appreciate others and God Himself. Gratitude to God comes gradually: at first you begin to value yourself, respect yourself, your body, face, take care of it, but in a beautiful way, with respect for yourself, without changing your face. Then, when you respect yourself, you also respect your parents, teachers, brother, neighbors, uncle, spouse.

So our life becomes beautiful, because what you give to another, he will return to you. If you are a barbarian, then you will be treated the same way. Therefore, we need to work on ourselves, and when we do something, then sit down and ask ourselves: “Why am I doing this, for what reason? I put on 15 earrings, hung them from top to bottom. What for? For beauty? But it's not pretty. What then is the reason? What motivates me to do this? We must see the impulse, that is, to explore ourselves, but not with mental anguish, but in order to work on ourselves.

This topic, unfortunately, has been and remains one of the most discussed in our Orthodox community, especially among the female audience.

Since your obedient maid has completed make-up courses and has actually been doing make-up for a very long time, I can say a few words about this.

“Is it a sin to paint now?” It depends on how the woman relates to this process. Sometimes it can be voiced like this: “Oh, Lord, how badly You did me, now, what is this lip color? Why are the eyes so expressionless? Eyelashes that couldn't be made thicker and longer, that's how it's done! - and the woman corrects what, in her opinion, the Almighty did not succeed. In this case, it is a sin, you have to confess. If a wife tries to remind her husband how beautiful the Lord created her, and adds a little “brightness” somewhere in order to attract the attention of her husband, then, in my opinion, there is no sin in this. - writes Priest Alexei.

Once, when I was going to church, I, a seventeen-year-old girl, had a desire to fully follow the essence of the message of the Apostle Paul - that "a wife should not adorn herself." I took it straight and stopped wearing any jewelry at all, stopped doing my hair, stopped dressing nicely, stopped using any kind of make-up and care products. Of course, I felt like a black sheep, I felt very bad and bitter. I didn't want to look in the mirror. I didn't want to go on holidays. The young people did not look at me. In general, life collapsed! 🙂

In the end, I succumbed to the persuasion of my friends and mother and stopped this disgrace. I decided for myself that now such a way of life does not suit a city dweller, that one must look decent, in accordance with one's position, without plunging others into temptation. If it is now considered decent for a woman to comb her hair beautifully, dress well and use makeup, then this is how it should be done, observing the measure and having taste.

So, what is makeup in historical terms?

Female looks after himself under all circumstances, even in the war in the trenches, even experiencing a bereavement: she sobs all night long about her dead husband, but then thickly lubricates her face with a nourishing cream, and at the funeral she is fully armed with a thorough make-up.

Cosmetics were already used in Ancient Egypt: antimony, bright lipstick were used, eyes were made green, decorated with tattoos, perfumes and fragrant oils were used, and centuries before the new era, i.e. of the Nativity of Christ, "drugs for touching up the face" were considered insidious tricks inherent in the deceitful female gender. The Monk John of Damascus (8th century) called seductresses those who paint their faces like a flowering meadow, blush their cheeks in different tones, whiten their faces with starch, line their eyes with black, decorate their necks, hands, hair with golden ornaments, use various incense. But, alas, at all times piety is defeated in the competition with the desire of women for beauty, as they understand it.

On the other hand, in the East, eyes have been painted since ancient Egyptian times with antimony (kohl), since, firstly, it disinfects the eyes, secondly, it strengthens the optic nerve, and thirdly, it protects the delicate skin around the eyes from solar radiation. And they do it there in the East so far, and not only women, but also men!

In Western Europe, initially male aristocrats began to use make-up and lipstick, starting from the 16th century. This fashion - to whiten the face, line the eyes, put flies and use lipstick - came from Turkey. Then the aristocrats began to follow this fashion, and after them - the women of the demi-monde. It was fashionable to be white-faced, with “heart” lips, with black dots emphasizing beauty - “flies”. Later, under the influence of Protestant and Lutheran ideas, the whole fashion for luxury and everything that was connected with aristocratic habits was criticized. Including makeup.

In Russia, fashion for make-up, also coming from the East, has spread very widely in urban fashion. In the 15th century, women from wealthy families, going out into the street without a thickly smeared face, red cheeks, thickly blackened eyebrows and eyelashes, were subjected to public censure. This fashion was perfectly combined with piety and piety.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, makeup fashion came and went.

Lipstick, like many other cosmetics, was invented in ancient Egypt.
Then there was lipstick in bright and dark shades, obtained from red ocher and natural iron oxides. She made her lips visually thinner and more elegant. The ancient Greeks borrowed lipstick from the Egyptians and used it willingly. At the same time, she was no less popular than in ancient Egypt. But in the years of the dark Middle Ages, the use of lipstick could be a reason for convicting a woman of witchcraft. The revival in the field of cosmetics happened only in the Renaissance with its cult of human beauty. Moreover, cosmetics were used so intensively at that time that in the 17th century the English parliament passed a law giving a man the right to divorce his wife if, after the wedding, he discovers that in reality she was not as beautiful as she was during the matchmaking period.
At the court of Louis XVI, lips were also painted by men - so that the contours of the mouth were noticeable and did not merge with the beard and mustache.

In the Soviet Union, women until the 60s rarely wore lipstick, even in educated circles, as it was considered vulgar. My grandmother started wearing makeup after she was 25, when she already had children, under the influence of her friends. And the fashion for eye makeup became ubiquitous in the 1960s, with its huge arrows and false eyelashes. The fashion for foundation and eye shadow came later, along with imported cosmetics.

Now there is another wave of rejection of makeup in society. In the West, this is associated with the rise of the feminist movement. In Russia, on the contrary, makeup is a companion of feminism. A variant of this “natural beauty” trend is the fashion for discreet makeup, as well as permanent makeup.

Sometimes beginners try to keep to the full strictness of the rule by not wearing make-up or dressing up, leaving makeup and hairdressing, turning into their own shadow. Why, one wonders, did the novice not start her spiritual feat from the other side? For example, would you give away your property to the poor, sell your apartment, your last earrings and not have a second garment, as it is directly stated in the Gospel and patristic writings? Because the feat of non-acquisitiveness is more difficult and difficult than the formal observance of external rules?

So, if you eradicate the main cause of sinfulness in your heart - the desire to seduce, which is generally sinful for a married woman, or the desire to look better, more beautiful than others, or to lie with your appearance - that you are not really thirty but forty, that you are a pale, tortured city dweller , and not a full-blooded maiden - then your soul and makeup, I'm sure, will not hurt.

If you remember that red lipstick is a symbol of a sexually aroused woman, a woman who is ready to mate, then you will not go overboard with the color of lipstick once again. Paint your lips with red lipstick at home, for your husband, before love, there will be no sin for you 🙂

(I’ll note, for the sake of truth, it’s not the face that attracts men in women, let alone jewelry. Men are seduced by the smell, the timbre of the voice, the expression of the eyes, the figure and some of its details, the general impression of the woman. Gait, manners. In general, that "Something that mostly eludes women. Why is this or that woman considered seductive and another not? Women often do not understand. Or vice versa, a beautiful woman remains lonely, or only connoisseurs of appearance, libertines, stick to her. This is the problem cosmetics won't fix it.

Why do we mostly wear makeup? A young girl - in order to look older, as well as for a fashionable look. An older woman - to look decent and like everyone else. Sometimes - to give your pale face some colors to look brighter. Sometimes - to hide flaws. Wise women emphasize the dignity of their face with makeup and correct the flaws. As a rule, the older a woman is, the more makeup she needs. As a rule, under make-up we hide our dissatisfaction with our appearance, our disappointment in our own appearance, the desire to restore the elusive beauty or give our appearance those features that we are not endowed with by nature.

I really like the saying of Khakamada - "make-up is a means to correct the shortcomings of the hairstyle." Have you noticed that a beautiful successful hairstyle does not need a lot of makeup?

The funny thing is that just then, at the age of seventeen, I didn’t need much makeup. These were all fake tears.

The beauty of a woman comes from within. The face is illuminated by the soul, and the traces of what has been lived in life are imprinted on the face better than in documents.

It is correctly said "at twenty years of a woman, the face that nature gave, at forty - that she deserved."

I have always resented my appearance. God gave me pale skin that turns red when I get worried, drink a hot drink or walk along a windy street ... Light eyebrows and cilia ... Bright eyes ... I always saw flaws in my appearance that needed to be painted over or changed. Needless to say, these were mostly complexes? 🙂 Facial expression is the most important thing that makes women beautiful. In the morning, before putting on makeup at the mirror, say to yourself - “thank God that he created me such a beauty!” You will need much less makeup than usual. Checked! Think about men. Why do they seem beautiful to us, with their red faces and unplucked eyebrows, wrinkled skin?

We are forcibly fed the ideal of a permanently made-up woman, we are shown hosts, actors, photo models that make-up artists have been working on for a long time, we are shown faces retouched on a computer that we are supposed to match. Even if a person by role in the film does not have makeup, he actually is there, and in a thick layer. We have lost the habit of seeing an unpainted face. Moreover, the image of the “new Cinderella” is being imposed on us. That is, there is an ugly girl, unsure of herself, to whom the prince does not pay attention. As soon as she goes to the makeup artist, dress more fashionably, comb her hair, and she is already a “princess”, and the prince runs into her arms. I’m thinking, but the prince doesn’t understand that when he washes her and undresses her, there will still be Cinderella. Katya Pushkareva, beauty is a terrible force. In real life, I do not know such cases. Beauty cannot be hidden, ugliness can only be changed by a plastic surgeon, alas. Mostly young girls believe in these fairy tales. Shame on a respectable lady who still believes that if she buys expensive lipstick, the prince will rush to her on a white horse.

In other words, if makeup can help you be self-confident (and it helps me), then who will forbid you! If only the husband. I recall a scene from the film “Zoya’s Standing” - the priest says to mother “yes, madam, you made up your lips ...” and washes her in a basin with rinsing linen. In short, do not be surprised if your husband somehow asks you to paint less. And even more so, do not be offended. Many, oh many men are categorically against makeup. And even non-Orthodox. Men have a different attitude towards makeup than we do.

In conclusion, a couple of tips regarding the actual makeup. If you pick up every time lipstick to match the clothes - you have a taste. If you have chosen lipstick once and for all, according to your type of appearance, you have excellent taste! If you are focusing on the lips, do not paint the eyes too much. And vice versa... It is best to follow the Eastern principle. Arab ladies make their eyes a lot, but their lipstick is mostly light, this is with a brunette appearance! And because they have bright lipstick - it is considered vulgar. Half-face eyes, but drawing there is considered the norm ... (I don’t urge this).

Now all kinds of lip glosses are in fashion. Here, take them on board! The eyes are the mirror of the soul. Highlight them. If you have time, do your best "Japanese" makeup. Its essence is that it is not visible. The main focus is on the correction of skin imperfections and the shape of the face.

The main principle of makeup, if you already do it, do not rush and do not overdo it. Professional basic make-up takes two hours. The bottom line is that everything is done carefully. Concert make-up - red cheeks, black eyes, long glued eyelashes and a mouth with a crimson wound - ten minutes. This is to be seen from afar. In ordinary life, this appearance is only suitable for clowns.

In an intra-church society - be prepared - you may be given a condition to refuse make-up and generally embellish your own appearance. If you are a parishioner of the temple, you may not be reproached at all. But if you are a singer, an employee, or a mother in general, in order to be accepted into the intra-church society, you must adhere to fairly strict rules of behavior and appearance. For example, in our parish and in the "environment" this is exactly the case. Once I came to the parish warehouse, it happened by chance to go in, it was good that I had a handkerchief with me. Oh horror - jeans, blonde bangs, lipstick, piercings in the ears. They told me that I looked non-Orthodox, and they almost kicked me out. Grannies are strict. I don't blame them at all. You are the one to blame. 🙂

Tertullian, about make-up and generally about decorating yourself - clothes, jewelry, hairstyles (oh, he exposes me :))

http://aleteia.narod.ru/tertul/zh_ubr2.htm

“All that I have said so far does not tend to turn you to a way of life, so to speak, peasant and disgusting, or to advise you not to observe neatness in your person. My intention is only to show you to what extent and to what extent your solicitude for your body can extend, so that chastity may be inviolable. Should not go beyond the boundaries of modest decency and decent neatness. We must begin by pleasing God. What offends him most is the immeasurable tendency of many women to use all kinds of drugs to make their skin white and smooth, to paint their face and cheeks with rouge, to blacken their eyebrows with soot. It can be seen that they do not like the simple creation of God when they find flaws in it.

Some of you are incessantly smearing your hair to give it a blonde color. They seem to be ashamed of their fatherland, and angry that they were not born in Gaul or Germany. They try to forcibly convey to their hair what nature has endowed these peoples with. This shiny hair is a sad omen: their vain and imaginary beauty leads to disgrace. Indeed, apart from other inconveniences, is it not true that through the use of these incense, insensible hair is lost? Isn't it true that the brain itself is weakened by these extraneous moisture and from the immense heat of the sun, on which you want to burn and dry your head? Is it possible to love embellishments that produce such disastrous effects? Should we call good what is composed of such obscene things?

What benefit do your head ornaments bring to your salvation? Can't you leave your hair alone? You curl them, then develop them; then raise, then lower; today you will braid them, and tomorrow you will leave them to worry carelessly; sometimes you burden them with a lot of other people's hair, making them either a kind of hat with which you cover your head, or a kind of pyramid so that your neck is open. What a strange thing it is to want to continually transgress the commandment of God! Who cares about you, says the Savior, can add one cubit to age (Matt. 6:27). And you certainly want to add something to it, accumulating on your head tufts of hair with a bunch of ornaments with which you burden the crown of your head, as if the focus of a helmet (oh, my laced blond tresses!). If you are not ashamed to bear such a burden, then at least be ashamed of its unworthiness. Do not place on the head sanctified by baptism the mortal remnants of any poor man who died of debauchery, or any villain condemned to die on the scaffold. A free head must remove itself from the slavery of all these burdensome attire. However, in vain do you try to appear splendidly dressed; in vain you use the most skillful masters for cleaning your hair; God wants you to be covered. What for? probably so that no one sees the heads of women who shame themselves with a frank head (1 Corinthians 11:5).

Do you think that God himself taught people the art of dyeing wool with the juice of famous plants or the oily parts of famous fish? Probably at the beginning of the world He forgot to create red or blue sheep, and therefore later revealed the secret of giving different colors to fabrics in order to make their fineness and lightness more valuable. Probably He also produced these golden toys, shining with many precious stones, and pierced the edges of your ears to attach magnificent pearls to them. Didn’t He fully recognize it as necessary to torment His creation and tire children, dissatisfied with their lot, to the point that from the cuts on the body designated for work, some grains hang with which the Parthians, the barbarian people, cover the whole body in the form of a necklace? Meanwhile, the same gold that leads you to admiration is used by other peoples to make chains and shackles; what their historians are talking about. It is true that these things are valued not because they are good in themselves, but because they are rare. But who opened out? None other than the rebellious angels or their slanderers: they initially pointed out to people these earthly works. Then labor and industry, together with their rarity, made them even more precious from their insane zeal to satisfy the luxury of women. It must be assumed that God will plunge into pitch darkness these evil spirits, among other things, because they pointed out to people these dangerous substances, such as: gold, silver and things made from them, and especially because they taught the art of dyeing fabrics and the most face. How can we please God when we love the works of those whom His justice has condemned to eternal punishment?

Tell me: what reason do you have to appear in a magnificent outfit when you are separated from other women who have a need for it for such motives that do not concern us? You do not visit pagan temples, you do not attend their spectacles, you do not attend the festivals of the gods. The usual reasons for lavishing such splendor in clothes are precisely to be in meetings, to see others and show oneself, to put up for sale chastity.

It is truly a great blasphemy when someone says about any of you: this woman has become more modest, having become a Christian! How! Aren't you already afraid of being branded poorer, having become richer, or seeming careless, having become more respectable? Should a Christian follow the rules of the pagans, or the rules of God?

Let simplicity and chastity be your only decoration. Describe before your eyes the humble modesty that comes from a well-ordered interior. Bind the word of God to your ears, and the yoke of Christ to your neck. Repent to your husbands: this is sufficient for your adornment. Keep your hands occupied in spinning, and keep your feet in the circle of your houses: your feet will be made more beautiful by this than by an abundance of gold. Be filled with the joy of wisdom, holiness and purity. If you adorn yourself like this, then God Himself will love you faithfully and forever.”

So, if you want to have a perfect lifestyle, then here is a direct instruction for you. It remains on your conscience to listen to the sage of the 3rd century AD or live by the rules of our modern society. Even for myself, I’m not yet ready to categorically answer “no” to makeup, and I constantly repent of this in confession. I am vain and I love to attract men with my beauty, especially since I am not married, and there is no one to keep and hide it for. And I also don’t like to show the world the flaws that no no yes happen to my appearance. But at least now I know WHO invented makeup and why ... .. If you, the reader, have the courage and determination to challenge the laws of this age, honor and praise to you. It is clear that it will be most difficult for those who are accustomed to do this all the time to give up decorating themselves, and consider it something necessary, moreover, decent for the person of their position. I couldn't. Till. It is clear that if the Lord gives me the opportunity to live to a ripe old age, the passion to decorate my face and hair will pass by itself. Although, we know a lot of “young old women” who immoderately paint their faces, wear wigs, pull up sagging skin and dress up as brides in their seventies - here is Svetlichnaya and the late Gurchenko, how many such “beauties” walk down the street?

On the other hand, I dare to discuss with the wise Tertullian. Now the living conditions are completely different, in Western civilization (in patriarchal societies everything is the same). Women are no longer recluses at home, they are no longer the keepers of the hearth. They leave the house every day, go everywhere and go alone. They do everything on a par with men, and sometimes for them. This lifestyle has completely changed the principles of decency for women. It is not necessary to cover the head all the time, as well as to wrap the body in a hoodie. In society, something completely different began to seem seductive. If in the time of Tertullian men were seduced by the face and voice of women, now in order to seduce others it is necessary to undress almost to the naked. You and I, adult women, many of us have some experience, we know that if there is some kind of spark between two people, then it arises from eye contact. This happens quickly, within a few seconds, we subconsciously perceive the whole person, his subconscious signals, smell, voice, and for the first few minutes of communication we already know whether we like a man or not. Men think even faster. 🙂

During the service, sometimes in the company of young monks, I meet their eyes - and I understand, because they hastily turn away - that I may have become an occasion for temptation for them. One look is enough. Even if I came to the temple without makeup and with a modest handkerchief. This does not happen with old priests. So, perhaps we should not be afraid to accidentally seduce someone with our make-up, modest jewelry and clothes that are not hoodie enough. There is always a reason for temptation. Keep track of what's going on in your head.

On my own behalf, I can say that at confession every time I confess that I adorn myself, including braiding hair and face paint.

And I prefer makeup so that it’s impossible to say for sure whether it’s me or not until you come close. Although on holidays, yes, I paint according to all the rules. Once, on the road to nature, my native brother asked me to paint. My face was burnt in the sun, it was aggravated by the fire smoke, and my appearance became simply ugly. He asked me to sort myself out somehow. And after thinking, he said ... “Do not go without make-up at all. Makeup suits you. Just don’t overdo it….”

Another plus for makeup and hair. I don't know how a proper Christian should look. Will it be useful to the Orthodox faith if I turn into a unkempt woman? Will it not be a temptation for others? They will say to themselves in their hearts, “this Elena is boasting of her Orthodoxy, she looks like a crazy sectarian, all Orthodox are moved on their heads” .... It seems to me that this will not benefit others and the image Orthodox Church. On the other hand, many theologians of both our time and the ancients write something in the sense of “you must show that you do not belong to the rest of the world, that you differ in behavior, including appearance, from pagans and unbelievers ...”

Then it turns out that both are right - and those who call on virgins and women to wear headscarves and hoodies, to forget about cosmetics and hair dye. And those who are trying not to alienate society from the church with their outward piety.

And I wish you to be happy, no matter what appearance God has awarded you.

Protodeacon Andrey Kuraev "on women's cosmetics"

Basically, I agree with him. He said the right thing. Are there any holy women in our Orthodox Church who definitely used cosmetics? Certainly! For example, Empress Passion-bearer Alexandra Romanova with her daughters, Holy Princess Elizabeth. It was a sign of decency and tradition of that society.

Now for the comments. Dear readers! I will be happy to answer your questions about my experience, suggest some solution in case of practical makeup issues. But the priest did not bless me to enter into disputes (I took a blessing to write this article). So don't be offended if I don't respond to some comments.

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A floor-length skirt of an indefinitely dirty color, a baggy sweater, a scarf pulled up to the eyebrows and a special expression of a colorless face - the very one with which "he will stop a galloping horse, enter a burning hut." This, unfortunately, is often the image of a native Christian woman presented to the layman. But there is nothing in common between him and the genuine Christian ideal of femininity.

At the crossroads of cultures

Appearance is, in many ways, a socially conditioned phenomenon and a way of self-identification. For Christians of the first centuries, the issue of cultural self-identification was quite acute. Having spread to the territory of the Roman Empire and beyond, Christianity carried both elements of Jewish and Greco-Roman culture.

The apostles had a hard time: it was not enough to preach Christ – they had to offer people real “recommendations” for the Christian life, so that the gospel ideals would take root in any of the national cultures.

After all, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, a Christian is a “new man” who is “renewed in knowledge in the image of the One who created him, where there is no Hellene, no Jew, no circumcision, no uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but all and Christ is in everything."

The apostle in his epistles gives instructions regarding the appearance of Christian women: “so that also wives, in decent attire, with modesty and chastity, adorn themselves not with braided hair, not with gold, not with pearls, not with clothes of great value, but with good deeds.”

Note that we are not talking about a ban here: the apostle only says that the external is not the main thing, and you should not spend too much effort and money on it, which was probably typical of the Greco-Roman culture. After all, Christ, unlike the pagan gods, does not need gold - He needs the love of a person and the conversion of his soul.

The tendency to condemn “decoration” and self-care to some extent intensified due to the development of monasticism and the emergence of patristic literature, which, in fact, became the main (after Scripture) “guide to action” not only for monks. Over time, the desire for maximum asceticism and "mortification of the flesh" began to appear to many not just as a virtue, but as the very essence of Christianity.

The main thing is relevance

From the baptism of Russia until the events of 1917, Christianity was in fact the state religion in Russia, but, nevertheless, Russian women, regardless of class, adorned themselves, used “ointments” and cosmetics, dressed up - including in church.

The fact is that Christianity has always been related to appearance, based on two main criteria: ethical and aesthetic. Ethical criteria were determined by the basic norms of the Gospel, the main of which is not to lead into temptation.

Moreover, temptation is understood in a broad sense - not only a sexually revealing outfit can shock and cause indignation. Excessive and inappropriate luxury or equally inappropriate slovenliness in the image is also a serious reason for temptation. Therefore, the main principles of Christian ethics in relation to appearance are relevance and a sense of proportion.

The aesthetic criterion is determined by the concepts of beauty that exist in the culture of a particular Christian people, a particular class, etc.

"Orthodox subculture"

A special "Orthodox dress code" that turns women into shapeless, asexual creatures is the product of the "Orthodox subculture" that was formed in the post-Soviet twenty years - the 90s and early 2000s.

The time when religion was no longer outlawed in Russia once again confronted Christians with the difficult question of self-identification. And, unfortunately, a long break from the living Christian tradition played its role: many began to try to build their lives according to mythological ideas about the piety of pre-revolutionary Russia and the “God-bearing people” as the “guardian of Orthodoxy” (hence the love for headscarves - once a purely peasant element of attire) .

In Russia, then, “folk Orthodoxy” became widespread, which became a national subculture, rather marginal, with a specific understanding of piety.

One of the essential features of this subculture was the sharp opposition between the “church” and the “worldly”. By "worldly", in this case, the whole culture was understood. People, as it were, "went into isolation", building their lives exclusively on monastic literature, mythological ideas about the "ideals of Holy Russia" and countless apocryphal pamphlets.

It was then that a rather tenacious stereotype was formed in this environment that since “the flesh is evil and sin,” then it should be treated accordingly. Self-care began to seem to many as an almost fatal vice, and a closed life in a "church context" seemed the only correct and "saving" form of existence.

Ignoring the "worldly" society has led to the fact that the need for an ethical and aesthetic assessment of one's own appearance has lost its meaning. Instead of being “the light of the world”, according to the word of Christ, such “Orthodox” began to avoid and neglect this world, to neglect themselves in this world.

"Glorify God in your body and in your soul"

One of the greatest Christian virtues the holy fathers call "reasoning": that is, the ability to think independently, based on the gospel principles. By neglecting our own body and appearance, we commit at least two big sins: we offend our neighbor, whose feelings we do not take into account, and we offend God, who gave us this body. This is nothing but selfishness.

The Gospel teaches love - love for God, for the world, and for oneself in this world, as for God's creation. The Apostle Paul says in one of his epistles that our bodies are “the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you.”

The desire to be beautiful is not a sin. Of course, it is easier to relieve yourself of responsibility by isolating yourself from the world and dressing in a bag. It is much more difficult - but also more worthy - being an attractive, well-groomed, stylish woman, in this difficult world to live “with reason”, to try to live up to true Christian ideals, bringing joy and love to the world.

Today, the world of women is located and visual media and even manipulated by them: they barbarically impose a certain practically non-existent in reality or achievable only through a fundamental value amputation of one's own being. The girls of today, and the women of tomorrow, are thus under tremendous pressure from this Procrustean value template. Up to Barbie dolls, which have become a fixed idea for girls and with their sylphic and anorexic sizes are capable of dooming any girl who would like to become like them to misfortune and illness.

Even the concept of beauty has turned from the absolute secret of love into a set of sizes and fashionable proportions of the body, achieved through starvation and torture.

The Word of God tells us that we are made in the image of God. The vast majority of women are unhappy with the way this image looks. What to do?

Holy Bible, The Word of God clearly tells us that we are created in the image of God (See: Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1). At the same time, the vast majority of women are dissatisfied with the way this image looks. What to do?

Note that this discontent, artificially instilled with the help of the media, actually generates a multi-billion dollar industry of diets, plastic surgeries, cosmetics, procedures, etc., etc.

Unfortunately, today's girls no longer want to be like God and the Mother of God, they want to be like Barbie, Hannah Montana and Miss Universe.

International statistics, especially in the West, where the rink of secularization has thoroughly passed through human souls, is tragic. Thousands of girls commit suicide because of their appearance. Anorexia and bulimia are common diseases in civilized countries, and the fear of "ugliness" is omnipotent. Half of the cases of depression in the world (we are talking about 1 billion people!) owe their appearance to people's lack of confidence in how they look or how successfully they play a certain role in society, and not their poverty, hunger, etc. Thus, the root of evil lies not outside, but in the mind, which is afflicted by excessive following of fashion trends, which gives rise to corruption.

The artificial beauty template is a generator of incurable grief, depression and even death.

The template of artificial beauty is thus a generator of incurable grief, depression and even death.

Society is doing nothing to lessen the effects of this aesthetic pandemic, on the contrary, some men, media-programmed to respond to trend puppets, are turning into harsh judges of women who do not fit into this picture.

What women are not able to understand is that a man is interested not so much in clothes, etc., but in the woman herself, who generates life and joy in love and childbearing

Genuine beauty comes from within, it shines through in purity and fidelity, gives birth to life, brings joy to the hearts of people, conveys the thrill of eternity, proclaims love - this power of the entire universe, tells about the miracles of God, humbly reflects the glory of Existence above heaven.

sylph, the heroine of the ballet of the same name, is a bewitching airy spirit. She seduces the young groom and takes him away from the bride right at the wedding.

Anorexia- a mental illness in which there is a pathological desire to lose weight, accompanied by a strong fear of obesity, malnutrition. The consequence of anorexia is death from exhaustion.

« Hanna Montana”- an American television series about a schoolgirl who leads a double life and turns into a pop singer at night, as well as a whole series of games using this plot: “Dress Hannah Montana”, etc.

bulimia is another eating disorder common today along with anorexia. With anorexia, a person considers himself fat, even if he is terribly thin. Therefore, he refuses any food. With bulimia, a person experiences wolfish hunger, eats everything, then induces artificial vomiting or diarrhea in himself to clear the stomach of what he has eaten.

Odele lui Solomon. Oda 13 / Traducere si introducere Ioan Valentin Istrati[Odes of Solomon. Ode 13 / Translation and introduction John Valentina Istrati]. Bucureşti: Editura Anastasia, 2003. P. 185.

Many people know that nothing can be done on church holidays, but few people understand why such a ban arose. The meaning of such taboos is that the holiday is for God, and not for worldly affairs. It is recommended to devote such days to caring and talking with loved ones.

What can not be done on church holidays?

It is important to note that the opinion that any physical work should be excluded on such days is incorrect and is only a myth. In fact, there is a certain list of restrictions that are considered more than a threat.

Many are interested in why it is impossible to sew on church holidays and what can happen if this prohibition is violated. Since ancient times, people have not picked up a needle on such days, especially at Christmas, as this can lead to the loss of sight of one of their close relatives.

Other prohibitions on religious holidays:

Another hot topic is why you can’t do laundry on church holidays. In fact, this prohibition also arose due to the fact that on such days it is worth devoting time to God and loved ones, and not working at home.