Alex Eklund is a student at Baylor University and noticed a disturbing trend on Facebook both during and after the Victoria’s Secret fashion show which aired on CBS.
Female friends and acquaintances began to lament their body, with many suggesting it was time to go on a diet.
“There was an underlying sense of insecurity which I sensed throughout the entire thing,” he told World Magazine.
In response, Alex decided to offer some encouragement. He decided to update his own status and wrote:
“I’d rather have a Proverbs 31 woman than a Victoria’s Secret model.”
According to published reports, the post went viral, and hundreds of messages began to pour in. Alex had struck a nerve, for both good and bad. A few thought he was being judgmental. Others thought he was crazy. But many resonated with his boldness. He recorded a video and posted it on Youtube. Within a few days it had been seen by 120,000 people.
Buoyed by the interest, Alex and his friends launched the Live31 Movement, an organization dedicated to promoting true beauty, that is, beauty from God’s point of view. By every measure the grassroots effort has been a success, garnering over 14,000 fans on Facebook and building up a strong following on Twitter.
It’s exciting to see social media being used so responsibly and robustly for such redemptive purposes. For those who lament the younger generation, I would encourage you to remember people like Alex Eklund. He is a bright light whom the Lord is using mightily!
We know that in God’s economy, true beauty is found within the “hidden person of the heart” (1 Peter 3:4). That’s a truth that’s so often lost in the superficial and sensuous culture in which we live. Moms and dads, are you raising sons who are more drawn to a “woman of noble character” than a lingerie model? Are you instilling in your daughters a sense of self-worth and affirming their priceless and precious value?
By the way, if some of you are not familiar with what a “Proverbs 31 woman” is, I’d invite you to click here to find out.
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