By Blanca Morales - Florida Catholic
MIAMI | When she was a contestant in America’s Next Top Model, Leah Darrow asserted before the reality TV show’s judges that she was Catholic.
The judges looked at her quizzically and asked her, “Would you have a problem posing with the ‘illusion’ of nudity?”
Darrow replied, “No, I don’t have a problem whatsoever.”
That was before she “reverted” into the Catholic faith, fully embracing its teachings on human dignity and purity. Today Darrow is an international speaker on topics of modesty, chastity and relationships. She is coauthor of a soon-to-be-released book on modest fashion, Decent Exposure.
On Jan. 11, she spoke to an audience of 400 women at Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in West Kendall, women who had gathered over tea and cakes to hear her speak on “Reclaiming Beauty.”
The event was originally planned for the high school’s female students and their mothers. Due to overwhelming interest, it was opened up to any woman, 13 or older, in the archdiocese, according to Sister Grace Helena, a Carmelite of the Most Sacred Heart who works at the school.
Shortly after her stint on America’s Next Top Model, Darrow experienced a reconversion that led her to reexamine her values and standards. In her talk, she shared statistics on how modern society views beauty.According to surveys, 25 percent of young American women would prefer to win America’s Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize; 23 percent would rather lose the ability to read than lose their figure; and 96 percent of women worldwide don’t believe they are beautiful.
“In Miami, you live in a challenging culture, one that gave the world its standards of beauty,” Darrow said.
Based on the distorted sense of beauty she experienced first-hand at modeling agencies and reality TV, she encouraged her listeners to demand a higher level of dignity, and to cultivate the virtues of self-control and temperance.
“We don’t have to prove to the world with our bodies that we’re women — it’s already obvious,” she said, adding, “We are not just a group of boobs and butts.”
She went on, “We are beautiful, powerful feminine creatures that were created to do something good.”
Darrow also pointed out that the most photographed woman in the world didn’t wear makeup or dress in the latest fashions: Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
True beauty is rooted in service, Darrow said. “It empowers the gift of self. The beauty of the interior life lived outwardly… You can’t buy that beauty in a bottle.”
Fashionably-conscious in a classic “little black dress” and statement necklace, the former model asserted she still likes to be stylish, in a modest way.
Fashion, she said, identifies who a person is. Clothing communicates a person’s standards and beliefs. She pointed to the clothes worn by the Carmelite sisters present: their veils and habits tell the world who they are and what they stand for.
She posed a question to the young women: “What does your clothing say about you? Who are you saying that you love with your fashion?”
She noted that at special high-status events, actors and models are often asked, “Who are you wearing?” The celebrity’s worth is then measured according to the designer who sponsored her eveningwear.
“Every time you get dressed, ask yourself, ‘Who am I wearing?’ Am I wearing the world or am I wearing the Creator of the universe?” Darrow concluded, asking those present to “reclaim beauty from a world that seeks to pervert it. You’re worth it.”
“Leah’s talk has given me newfound hope,” said Kristina Maldonado, a Florida International University student. “I see so many girls today that settle for mediocrity, and it’s heartbreaking. Somebody needs to stand up and challenge what society promulgates, and I’m glad Leah’s message does just that.”
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