The Currency of Beauty

Nothing New Here

Lately, I haven't been able to ignore the headlines. Day after day, we witness people being dehumanized, displaced, and treated as though their lives carry less value than others. Whether because of ethnicity, faith, immigration status, gender, or social standing, the names and circumstances change, but the pattern feels painfully familiar.

Are we not progressing, or have the faces of oppressors simply changed?

Different century. Same human nature.

Every generation believes its struggles are unprecedented. Yet Scripture reminds us otherwise. As Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, "There is nothing new under the sun."

Long before today's political division, cultural hostility, and the persecution of vulnerable people, the Book of Esther revealed what happens when pride, prejudice, and unhinged power shape public policy. An entire ethnic group became the target of one man's hatred, while a young ethnic woman named Hadassah, better known as Esther, found herself positioned at the center of deliverance for those targeted.

So how did Esther find herself at the center of history? Because of her beauty….  

From Esther’s time in ancient Persia to modern social media, beauty has often been treated as a woman's greatest asset—her passport into the room, her advantage, sometimes even her perceived value.

Now don't get me wrong. I am that girl who likes changing hairstyles to keep it interesting. I love cute outfits, and when I put on my lip gloss, I feel activated and ready to negotiate world peace! But I've lived long enough to know that attention and value are not the same thing.

Bottom line?  Beauty gains attention, but as we will see with Esther, character builds legacy.

The Setup for Esther: A Queen Who Said No

King Xerxes ruled over 127 provinces—from India to Ethiopia. To flex his wealth and secure the loyalty of his military leaders and nobles, he hosted a lavish banquet that lasted 180 days, followed by a seven-day public celebration for everyone in the capital city of Susa.

Think unlimited food and alcohol, gold furniture, designer goblets, and enough luxury to make today’s wealthy take notes. The man was doing the absolute most. Apparently, when your kingdom stretches nearly 3,000 miles, modesty simply isn’t your thing. On another note, people’s livers had to be wrecked after partying and drinking for six months straight!

But beneath all that extravagance—and alcohol—came one request that exposed where Xerxes believed a woman’s value truly resided.

At the height of the celebration, Xerxes ordered his wife, Queen Vashti, to appear before his guests so they could admire her beauty.

Vashti must have thought the request was petty because she refused.

That refusal changed everything.

You know alcohol and wounded pride have never made a good combination. Humiliated before his officials and guests, Xerxes banished Vashti from the palace. He needed a new queen, so commissioners were appointed throughout the empire to gather beautiful young virgins—likely in their mid-teens—and bring them into his harem.

Vashti’s loss of her crown created the opening for Esther to step onto the stage of history.

Enter Esther: Beauty as a Passport, Not Power

Esther was a young Jewish woman living in exile in Persia. After losing both of her parents, she was raised by her older cousin, Mordecai. She was among the women selected for the king's search.

This was not Love Island. This was not The Bachelor. Nobody was handing out roses here. Esther wasn't invited to the palace. She was taken.

I use the word "taken" deliberately because these young women likely had no choice. They were gathered by royal decree and brought into the king's harem. Before Esther entered the palace, Mordecai instructed her that it was best not to reveal she was Jewish.

When Beauty Becomes a Competition

Before being presented to the king, each woman was required to complete a twelve-month beauty regimen—six months with oil of myrrh followed by six months with perfumes and cosmetics.

Reading that, I couldn't help but think about today's beauty industry. Women are still investing enormous amounts of time and money into their appearance. I am so one of those women….

Products have changed. The pressure hasn't. It's no wonder the American beauty industry has become a multibillion-dollar enterprise.

But in Esther's day, beauty wasn't just an industry, it was a competition with life-changing consequences. Among all the women brought to the palace, Esther's beauty distinguished her. She gained favor with Hegai, the eunuch overseeing the women. She was given a special diet, seven maidservants, and the best place in the harem.

Let’s be honest—the moment Esther started getting special treatment, the group chat was definitely active. And I can imagine she wasn’t exactly the most comfortable in that environment. Why would she be? She was surrounded by over a hundred women all competing for the same crown.

One Night. One Decision. One Future.

After the year-long beautification process, each young woman entered the king's chambers in the evening and returned the following morning. If she was not chosen, she remained in the king's harem as a concubine and could not marry another man.

By morning, it is difficult to imagine those women leaving “unchanged.” My feelings would be hurt if I was sent back as a concubine.

Can you imagine spending an entire year preparing for one night, knowing your future rested in one man's opinion?

One night.

One decision.

One king.

Your future….

Fortunately for Esther, when her turn came, Xerxes found her exceptionally beautiful and crowned her Queen of Persia. 

She had made it.

But at what cost?

One Man's Ego, An Entire Nation's Crisis

Even after Esther entered the palace, Mordecai didn't fade into the background. Day after day, he positioned himself at the palace gate, looking for a word about how she was doing. He couldn't shield her from behind palace walls, but he refused to be absent. 

It was at those gates that Mordecai found himself standing at the intersection of faith and pressure. Xerxes had ordered everyone to bow before Haman; the empire's highest-ranking official. But for Haman, respect wasn't enough. Like far too many powerful people throughout history—and even in our own day—he wanted admiration that crossed the line into reverence.

Mordecai wouldn't play that game. His loyalty to God wouldn't allow him to give a man that type of honor. While others bowed, Mordecai stood. And when Haman realized he would not bow, his wounded pride quickly turned into furious rage. Punishing Mordecai would not be enough. Haman wanted something much darker.

Using his influence, Haman persuaded King Xerxes to issue a decree across all 127 provinces authorizing the annihilation of every Jewish man, woman, and child on a set day. Their homes and possessions would also be confiscated.

And what was the justification for such a sweeping “executive order?”

They were different. Different customs. Different beliefs. Different laws. In the eyes of the empire, that difference became a political problem. It is unsettling how quickly “different” can be reframed as “dangerous.” One moment a people are living, contributing to the economy, existing within a system… and the next, their very existence is labeled as a threat.

When Position Meets Purpose

A decree was issued. Almost overnight, fear spread throughout the empire. People mourned publicly, covering themselves in sackcloth, crying out in the streets, and grieving openly. 

Behind the palace walls, Esther knew nothing about the decree until Mordecai sent word to her. He pleaded with her to go to Xerxes and ask him to spare their people. On the surface, Mordecai's request seems simple. It was not simple for Esther.

First, you must see Esther beyond being the queen. She was an orphan. A girl living in exile that had already buried both of her parents. She was living in a foreign land, surrounded by unfamiliar customs, concealing part of who she was just to survive. She was torn away from Mordechai and placed in the palace without giving thought to her will. Yet here she is with the weight of an entire nation resting on her shoulders.

Do you think she wanted the pressure of saving her people? She was probably already mentally struggling and felt she was carrying enough and just wanted to be…. Her purpose likely did not feel like a privilege. It felt like pressure.

Her hesitation to act wasn’t just emotional. It collided with a very real and immediate risk. Esther approaching Xerxes without being summoned was punishable by death unless he extended his golden scepter. Mordecai understood the risk. Yet he reminded her that living in the palace didn't guarantee her safety. Then he spoke the words that shifted her perspective:

"Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

— Esther 4:14

Sometimes the very place we never wanted to be becomes the very place God intends to use us most.

When Faith Makes the Decision

Something changed in Esther. She stopped measuring the risk and embraced her purpose. Before approaching Xerxes, she first prepared herself spiritually. She asked Mordecai to gather all the Jewish people in Susa to fast with her for three days and three nights. Then she made her decision:

"I will go to the king, though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

— Esther 4:16

Esther shows faith doesn't erase fear. It simply refuses to let fear make the final decision.

Beyond Beauty

After three days of prayer and fasting, Esther didn't abandon her beauty. She used her beauty with strategic purpose. How? She dressed in her royal robe and intentionally positioned herself in the courtyard where she would get Xerxes’ attention. 

It worked. When Xerxes saw Esther standing in the court, he extended his golden scepter, welcoming her instead of condemning.

Using her beauty to get attention was just the first step. What happened next revealed her wisdom. Instead of immediately blurting out her request, Esther invited Xerxes and Haman to a private banquet. At the banquet, Xerxes asked what she desired. She delayed answering because with her wisdom she knew that saying the right thing at the wrong time could still produce the wrong result. They ate. The wine flowed. By now, we know Xerxes enjoyed his “drink” ….

Esther invited both men to another banquet the following day.

Perfect Timing

While Esther was quietly preparing to save a nation, Haman was boastfully preparing to destroy Mordecai because he was still refusing to bow.  Consumed with rage and encouraged by his wife and friends, he made plans to hang Mordecai the following morning.

Meanwhile, God was arranging Mordecai’s personal deliverance.

The night before the second banquet, Xerxes discovered that Mordecai had once uncovered a plot to assassinate him but had never been honored for his loyalty. Ironically, when Haman arrived the next morning expecting permission to execute Mordecai, he was instead ordered to publicly honor the very man he hated.

Can you imagine spending your morning planning another man's execution only to spend your afternoon giving him royal treatment?

The Impact of the Drink

Now it was time for the second banquet. Once again, they ate. Of course, the wine flowed.

And again, Xerxes asked Esther, “What is your request?" This time, she answered by revealing she was Jewish. She exposed the decree that called for the destruction of her people. Then she identified the architect behind the plot. She said, 

"An adversary and enemy! This wicked Haman!"

— Esther 7:6

The energy shifted. Xerxes was furious. Haman was terrified.

As I read this part of Esther's story, I couldn't help but ask one question.

Did Xerxes forget that he had approved the very "executive order" he was now outraged by? After all, Haman hadn't acted alone. Xerxes had authorized the decree with his own signet ring. To give perspective, the Greek historian Herodotus records that Xerxes made major military decisions while intoxicated. While that doesn't prove what influenced the events recorded in Esther, it does paint a picture of a ruler who is easily influenced and whose judgment could be impulsive. A leader without discernment places everyone around him at risk….

When You Hate, You Work Towards Your Own Demise

So, what happened after Esther's banquet?

• Xerxes ordered Haman to be executed in the very manner he meant for Mordecai.
• Although Persian law prevented the original annihilation decree from being revoked, a second decree authorized the Jewish people the right to defend themselves.
• Haman's estate was given to Esther, and she entrusted its oversight to Mordecai, who was elevated to second only to the king.
• Haman's story did not end with his execution. During the conflict that followed, his ten sons were killed.

Most people assume hatred is something we direct outward. Scripture reveals something far more sobering. Hatred often destroys the one carrying it long before it reaches its intended target.

“When you hate, you work towards your own demise.”

Hatred distorts judgment. It convinces us that someone else's destruction will somehow produce our security, our peace, or our victory. It never does. The more hatred grows, the less clear we see. Eventually, we become so consumed with defeating another person that we fail to recognize we are dismantling ourselves.

This truth extends far beyond ancient Persia.

History repeatedly shows us the same pattern. Before people are excluded, oppressed, or attacked, they are first redefined. They become "different." "Dangerous." People who supposedly don't belong. Dehumanization almost always begins with language before it progresses to action. Power divorced from integrity eventually turns against itself. Hatred writes its own ending. It just rarely recognizes whose name will be on the final page.

Finding a Confident Identity Beyond Beauty

Although Esther entered the palace with very little choice, what she did once she arrived changed history. She chose faith over fear. Wisdom over impulse. Purpose over comfort. Integrity over self-preservation.

History remembers Esther as a courageous woman that used influence to protect people who had no voice.

From ancient Persia to modern America, the story hasn't changed much. Women are still noticed for their appearance before their abilities. Beauty still opens doors. Social media didn't invent that reality. Xerxes was doing it more than 2,500 years ago.

So, does pretty provide grace? Yes! And yes, I see nothing wrong with embracing beauty. Trust me—I put in the effort to maximize my God-given potential. I don't consider myself a beauty queen...But a girl can definitely hold her own.

However, I've simply lived long enough to understand that attention and value are not the same thing. Beauty will fade. I pray my character never does.

Like Esther, I understand that:

My Beauty Is Not My Currency

It is

My faith.

My wisdom.

My purpose.

My spirit.

My integrity.

Forever,
Cornwell's Girl

For a more in-depth understanding, read the Book of Esther, Chapters 1–10.