Most people know the song “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars. It’s been on the radio for years and is a catchy favorite.
I’d heard “Just the Way You Are” before, but I hadn’t seen the music video for it until a classmate shared it in a presentation for class recently. At first, the lyrics made me feel good. The song made me think of similar songs, like the crazy popular hit “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction. But then I understood the message that this song was sending—especially when it was combined with the music video.
The Implications
Basically, I think that “Just the Way You Are” implies that guys will love you “just the way you are” if you let them see—and use—your body.
The scantily clad woman in the music video demonstrates this. Bruno doesn’t swoon over a woman in long jeans and a turtleneck; he swoons over a woman with a strappy shirt and shorty shorts.
So does he truly love that girl just the way she is? Or does he love her because she’s willing to show off her body to him?
The Questions
You may or may not be dating, but if you are, maybe you should consider these questions about how your boyfriend thinks of you:
- Does your boyfriend love you “just the way you are” in your miniskirt and tight tank top? Or does he love you even in an ankle-length skirt and loose t-shirt?
- Does he love you “just the way you are” if you kiss him every day? Or does he love you even if you want to save your first kiss for marriage?
- Does he love you “just the way you are” if you let him touch you too much and hold you too tightly? Or does he love you even if you tell him to keep his hands to himself?
You might be thinking that I’m being dramatic about a love song that seems fairly clean and innocent, especially compared to other popular songs. I’m not saying that Bruno’s song contains explicitly sexual lyrics. But I am saying that it might have an implicitly sexual message.
The Hard Truth
Friends, we can’t let words flood into our minds carelessly. Every song, book, movie, and TV show has a message. Each of them preaches a sermon, just like the pastor in a church. And I believe that in “Just the Way You Are,” Bruno is preaching that beautiful women are women who let guys see, touch, and use their bodies.
Friends, we have to evaluate messages like these before they affect our thoughts, words, and actions.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NASB)
Our minds can’t be renewed if we just swallow everything that we hear and see. It’s critical for us to evaluate secular—and even Christian—sources of entertainment.
Listen to music with discernment. Analyze the author’s intent of including a certain chapter or scene in a book. Notice subtle messages of movies and TV shows.
The words that you consume—regardless of how you consume them—will impact you. The impact may not be noticeable at first, but the more you listen to a song or watch a TV show or read a book, the more its subtle messages will start to change you—whether for good or bad (Matthew 15:18-19).
Lyrics are from AZ Lyrics.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 