The Idol Most Women Have But Refuse to Admit

Nearly every woman has had that moment—the one where she’s hunched over in the dressing room and catches sight of her body. She can immediately pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with it or what she would change. Rarely does she use that moment to reflect on how God created her fearfully and wonderfully.

Nineteen-year-old beauty video blogger Chelsea Crockett has been there—along with other stops on the self-esteem train—as she works out who she is in Christ and her divine purpose.

“God has given us our faces and our bodies for a divine purpose, and if we are emphasizing that, he’s created us uniquely and beautiful in our own ways,” Crockett says.

Crockett is as quick to laugh as she is to discuss difficult topics for a Christian teen. Her vlog conquers doozies like how to honor God in a culture saturated with sex and pornography, but also has captures the moment of sweet adoration when she surprised her long-distance boyfriend for his birthday.

What’s she’s most known for, though, might be her fresh makeovers and beauty tips that coincide with the seasons. As much fun as it is, she says, a woman must be careful to guard her heart.

Her YouTube channel has more than 1.5 million subscribers.

“Whenever we look at ourselves in the mirror, whenever we’re changing, it can be kind of discouraging when we see ourselves like that, we think, ‘I wish I could do this to change, that it’s time to get on diet plan.’ Some of us follow through, but a lot of us don’t have that willpower, and we eat all these Cheetos, do whatever, and get stuck in this cycle,” Crockett says. “But even then, I think we have to know we are made in God’s image, and we are created with a divine purpose.”

She continues: “All in all, I think if this is all you’re thinking about throughout the day is your appearance and how you view yourself and your weight, then you probably need a new heart check and probably need to ask God for guidance. That’s becoming your idol—it’s hard to face, but that’s the truth of it. I’m preaching to the choir too, because this is a hard answer for me to give, I think it’s something we all struggle with.”

It’s all documented in Your Own Beautiful, due out Oct. 24.

In her debut book, Crockett talks faith and fashion and everything in between. With Charisma News, she wasn’t afraid to speak candidly about the modesty culture within the church.

“I like to feel confident in the clothing I wear,” Crockett says. Her go-to fall outfit is jeans, heeled booties and an oversized sweater.

“In the summer when I wear swim suits and stuff around guys at the beach, I wear one-pieces and want them to be cute and flattering,” Crockett says. “I get one pieces from H&M, and I always get compliments on them. … I feel like a lot of people are too strict on the modesty thing, but also some are too loose sometimes. I kinda fall in the middle, maybe.”

Your Own Beautiful isn’t the only book on Crockett’s mind right now. She’s enrolled at a local community college, where she studies communications. She says she wants to hone her public speaking skills so she can one day address and empower women.

“So many conferences have come up lately, but I wanna do something different. I just don’t know what that is,” Crockett says. “I love Beth Moore, love Sadie Robertson, but I generally think the world needs something more personal, more intentional that lets [attendees] relate to their community and [shows them how to share the] gospel intentionally within their communities.

“It’s so mysterious, what do you do? I’m just praying God reveals this beautiful picture or dream.”