This is one of those trite sayings that English-speakers have grown up with. But we all know that (at least in our cut-throat urban culture) it matters. Generally speaking we don't look past the surface; we assume, when all evidence is to the contrary, that what we see is what we get - especially if it's not beautiful. Ugliness doesn't get a second look.
And so this ad makes sense ... if the outside is what matters, then pouring money and time into skin is good economics.
But ... something niggles at me, There must be more, surely?
A spiritual man once said: "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Rather it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
Ultimately my skin is irrelevant to whether I am a beautiful person. Not just what colour it is - which is the most obvious prejudice, but whether it is smooth or wrinkled, scarred or pristine, dry or shiny. Spiritual life is about cultivating inner beauty ... and (perhaps more difficult) learning to see inner beauty in other people.
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