~If video doesn't work, copy and paste this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&feature=related

I woke up yesterday to a news report that women are buying more make-up than ever before.  I lay there and thought, "Man, I already woke up on the wrong side of the bed and I haven't even pushed the covers back yet!"  As I grabbed my morning coffee and my brain began to function again, I pondered this study more.  Why are women buying more make-up than ever?  Then my husband told me to go watch Susan Boyle on you tube...  (see clip above if you haven't already).....

A-mazing.  But I think what is most interesting are the comments from the judges afterwards... "I'm reeling from shock,"  the first says.  "I'm so thrilled because I know everybody was against you.  I honestly think we were all being cynical," says yet another blonde in the entertainment world. Even Simon has to smirk in absolute agreement.     How quickly we all just made up our minds to judge her because she is this quirky little British woman who has the guts to walk out onto a stage in front of thousands, which has now turned into over 20 million hits on you tube.  I was watching CNN last night interview one of the judges asking if they were going to give her a makeover now.  Thank the Lord they said no.  And here is why I think that is great.  Here is a woman who can stand on her own two feet, has a dream, and at 47 walks out on that stage and sings pitch perfect Les Miserable's I dreamed a dream, and dreamed a dream she did.

So back to the make-up thing... why in this economic downturn are women spending all this money on blush and lipstick?  Why is Susan Boyle who can stand on her own two feet in front of Simon and then walk off the stage as if that was her purpose in life, to just sing that one song, catch us so off guard and shock us?  I think that the Susan Boyles are more common than we think, but we choose quick remedies like buying make-up as our escapism to feel better.  We think we need something outside of ourselves to improve.  One woman called in to the radio show and had just spent $500 at MAC on items that she called into confess she actually did not need.  

The fear our culture creates in putting us all in this box that we actually have to look like the blonde judge is what drives me insane... I would like to be Susan Boyle a 100 times over (pre you tube) because that is real talent - knowing who you are and what you can do and not letting a laughing crowd stop you.   I hope that women see this and realize the dreams that lie within them and spend money on those things and not make-up.  We're desperate right now for our lives to mean something, to put our best foot forward, but what caused this whole economic downturn was the realization that dreams mean investments and time... then maybe when we're 47 we too can hold our head high and shake our hips knowing that, yes indeed we got it goin' on before we even open our mouths because we know that no lipstick or blush is going to create that.