Anna Ruth Ramos | Staff Writer

Senior Psychology major Keren Cabrera hails from a “very Latina background” of Honduras where curvy is the standard.

“I know in Central America, people who are curvy are looked upon as more beautiful… those who are a bit thicker are considered rich – you are rich because you are eating more,” Cabrera said.

According to Cabrera, body size doesn’t hinder how we can reflect God.

“All women are beautiful no matter their body shape,” she said. We’re all built in His image. If we believe that – also as a campus – I think it’d be a lot more encouraging when we see or how we conduct ourselves through social media to like empowering each other…When we minimize our beauty, we’re minimizing God,” Psychology senior Keren Cabrera said.

On the other hand, for APU alumna Madeline Ho, who didn’t feel that there was a huge standard, nor did she feel pressured to look a certain way, confidence is key when it comes to beauty.

“I never felt like I didn’t fit in if anything, I felt like this was a place where you were able to create your own standard of beauty,” APU alumna Madeline Ho, program coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center said. “I would just say that everyone has so much to offer and it took me a long time to really love who I am. I think it takes work and we’re all created in God’s image and that’s such a big part of it.”

Ho, program coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center believes self-confidence and feeling secure is what she says is beautiful and it’s something that comes from within.

Physical Education major senior Jessica Beeler defines beauty as “just really loving myself for who I am…Just being able to accept yourself from head to toe and walking in that confidence no matter what…You are who you are because God has made you that way,” added the APU Women’s Resource Center Undergraduate Intern.

How does the APU community feel about female beauty standards?

“All women are beautiful no matter their body shape,” she said. We’re all built in His image. If we believe that – also as a campus – I think it’d be a lot more encouraging when we see or how we conduct ourselves through social media to like empowering each other…When we minimize our beauty, we’re minimizing God,” Psychology senior Keren Cabrera said.

“I never felt like I didn’t fit in if anything, I felt like this was a place where you were able to create your own standard of beauty,” APU alumna Madeline Ho, program coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center said. “I would just say that everyone has so much to offer and it took me a long time to really love who I am. I think it takes work and we’re all created in God’s image and that’s such a big part of it.”

Physical Education major senior Jessica Beeler defines beauty as “just really loving myself for who I am…Just being able to accept yourself from head to toe and walking in that confidence no matter what…You are who you are because God has made you that way,” added the APU Women’s Resource Center Undergraduate Intern.