mothers « Elianna Lev

May 9, 2010

On mothers and beauty

My family doesn’t really take Mothers Day that seriously because we’d like to think that every day is mothers day. (Like most mothers) My mother is an incredibly special woman who has been a hugely influential and positive person in my life. She’s really shaped me into the woman and adult I am today and I love her for it. I tell her I love her whenever I can. She knows it.

But something recently has been bothering me. I’ve written about how my mother’s modeling career helped form my obsession with people who are superiorly attractive. Modeling was an opportunity that came to her, a pale skinned ginger haired Swede living in the Middle East, and one she was very good at. Her beauty was unique for the region and as a result, she did moderately well hawking products with her good looks. This was in the late 60s and early 70s.

My mother is in her 60s now. On several occassions, I’ve witnessed her looking in the mirror and getting flustered. “I’m so ugly!” she’ll declare. It always feels so wrong. I never really know what to say.

My mother is the furthest thing from ugly. Anyone who has the pleasure of knowing her, knows that her beauty comes very deep within her. So many people (including many of my friends) feel at ease with her, trust her to listen and give fair, straight forward and logical advice when they’re going through shit. She cares. She has basically committed her life to caring for others, in her own wonderful way.

After she became pregnant, my mother committed her life to raising my sister and me. Fluent in three languages, a devoted reader, avid news junky and a creative and talented cook, my mom really could have done anything she wished to do with her life. But she’s not much of a dreamer. So, she decided to be the best mother, wife, and friend any person could want. And as a result, she excels. She is the type of person who brings her amazing cookies to her hairdresser, because she only see her twice a year. The person you have as your emergency number. The person who is loyal and trustworthy and so well versed in the world around her. She is really a gem.