Frumusetea izbavitoare
Redeeming Beauty

Summary/Abstract: Why beauty as a subject for theological reflection? Precisely because there is so much destruction, so much wanton disregard of life and creation and because there is a deep connection between the destruction of nature, others and self; precisely because beauty has become commodified and constructed to serve the interests of a dominant patriarchal culture; we need to restore a sense of reverence for the fragile order of the intricate web of life. Female beauty has centered around the hair, the breasts, the feet, and the hands for many centuries. Womens' beauty in patriarchal cultures is a complex construct that binds together <physical beauty>, desire for relationship / friendship / sexuality / love, but also cultural acceptance, group belonging and the economic basis of womens' lives in marriage but also in the workplace. This explains why women comply and complied to oftentimes excruciating ordeals in order to enhance their beauty. The essential way of experiencing beauty has to do with seeing, with attentiveness, with the posture of beholding. Redeeming beauty means therefore that life has meaning in itself. The promise and praxis of ilfe: Can we redeem the dream of a sharing community that experiences abundant life and that Jesus called <the kingdom of God>?

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