St. Francis told his fellow friars to "preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words."  I've always loved this quote, and have found it really is a wonderful motto for life.  We are called to live our lives in such a way that everyone who sees us knows we are children of God, and members of His Holy Church; and this goes for ALL aspects of our life, not just how we pray.  The way we talk, dress, and act are the first things the world notices about us.  When we dress like the rest of the world, act slovenly and rudely, and use slang or foul language, we certainly aren't presenting a very attractive image of what it is to be a daughter of God.  On the contrary, when we live our lives gracefully, treat everyone kindly, and are careful about our speech and dress, we give a much different image to the world.  Since the female celebrities of today are so far from being good role models (with the exception of Kate Middleton), and we no longer have any Grace Kelly's to look up to, we have an even greater obligation to show our sisters in Christ how to behave and look like ladies by our own behavior and dress.  The best icon we can have for femininity and grace is, of course, Our Lady, the Queen of Heaven, and we should strive to imitate her more than any celebrity.  With this being said, it is still a good idea to look for good and admirable qualities in other women throughout history that we wish to imitate.

Now, I realize most of us are not nearly as graceful, elegant, or charming as Grace Kelly was (myself included!), but neither was she at first.  Her poise and charm took the work of many years to develop.  Her own family believed she would never amount to much because of her clumsiness, shyness, and difficulty speaking as a young girl, but she decided she wanted to be a great lady, and she most certainly succeeded.  Now she is a world renown icon of femininity and grace! While most of us are not called to be world-renown like she was, we are obligated to brighten our little corners of the world with our own graceful, feminine behavior and appearance, and to use our gifts to bring others closer to Heaven.  Part of our gift as women is the ability to make things beautiful and desirable.  It is a wonderful gift that most women today do not even realize they posses (thank you, feminism), but is very important in shaping our societies and families.  In fact, it is a necessary gift to rebuild society and the family the way God intended them to be.  The woman is the heart of the home, whether it be her own home, or her parent's, and she has a duty as a daughter of God to make it a beautiful, peaceful refuge from the rest of the world, and to carry this refuge with her whenever she leaves it.  When we start acting like ladies, our brothers in Christ will be encouraged and motivated to behave like gentleman, and then the world will certainly begin to change for the better. 

//Outfit Details//

Dress: eShakti/$50.95

Sandals: Gift

Earrings: Cato's/Old

Satchel: Charming Charlie (sold out, similar here)

What are your thoughts on this issue?

Do you have any celebrity icons you try to imitate?