What’s in a face? Your soul, your ‘self’ that you present to the world. It’s the first thing people see when they look at you, and too often determines whether they want to engage with you or walk away.
I just finished reading a long article in the National Geographic September 2018 issue, “Katie’s New Face.” The author, Joanna Connors, and photographers, Maggie Steber and Lynn Johnson, spent more than two years documenting Katie’s face transplant. To say reading the story and looking at the pictures (some of them I couldn’t) is unsettling would be an understatement, but I came away with a very different understanding of the value of a face and its importance in how we live.
You already know how much advertising is aimed at women’s faces. Magazines are filled with stories and advertisements telling us we can look better and therefore have sexier, better lives; that we can defy aging and look younger; that, essentially, we should never be content with the way our faces look. After reading Katie’s story, I will cherish my face in a way that I hadn’t. Yes, I’ll still use creams and the anti-aging formula mornings and nights, but I will never peer in the mirror and lament my wrinkles again.
Having a face is a privilege. Many, due to civilian trauma or war wounds, will never have a face that looks like the one they grew up with. They can’t attend high school reunions, for example, and expect classmates to recognize them. Going into public places, like restaurants, can be traumatic as some people hurl insults their way.
From now on, every time I look in a mirror, I will say silently, “Thank you, God, for this face you have bestowed upon me.” I will take care of it lovingly and appreciate what the lines tell about my life’s journey. What’s in a face? Your essence.