Beauty as Resistance
Oh, the times.
The TIIIIIIIMES, y’all.
(I feel like there needs to be a wide open field right here for all the thoughts and feelings that come up just hearing that phrase.)
Our modern lives have conditioned us to separate the sacred from the ordinary—replacing presence with productivity, depth with efficiency, and beauty with what’s most profitable. (Ew.)
This kind of programming has given rise to these sharp, strange binaries:
Good vs. bad.
Useful vs. a waste of time.
Profitable vs. worthless.
(Again… eek. And EW.)
Now we’re seeing it everywhere. In our cities, buildings, screens.
It’s like the whole world is being stripped down, sandblasted, rebranded in beige. Tear down the old, the meaningful, the handcrafted—and replace it with soulless siding and “budget-friendly” brick.
Attending a one-night event? Grab five fast-fashion outfits from SHEIN, wear one, toss the rest.
Ew. Ew. EW. I’m cringing just typing this—but I need to paint this picture clearly so we can paint a better one together.
And now… I’m going to make a bold claim. One that might stir something up. But stay with me:
To tend to beauty, to value it, to weave it into the fabric of your day-to-day life is to push back against a culture that tells you only what’s productive or profitable has worth.
Whether it’s a simple flower in a cup on the windowsill, the way you do your morning routine with intention, or the way you stack your rings, bling your nails or spritz a perfume before typing out those emails—these acts aren’t frivolous. They’re revolutionary. They pull you into a different frequency and resonance.
Yes, beauty exists on a vibrational spectrum, just like everything. And yes, access and privilege play a role. But the practice of perceiving and creating beauty on your terms is available to all of us.
When we shift the frequency that we vibrate at, we shift the way we enter relationships with others and the world around us. It changes the air. It changes the vibe. It changes your insides on a cellular level. And when our inner world is changed, our immediate surroundings change, our relationships change and we affect the world beyond, too.
(Sound woo woo? It is! And it’s science, too.)
Beauty brings us home.
It anchors us in our bodies.
It soothes the nervous system, reconnects us to the breath, and breaks the spell of urgency.
It’s profound interruption.
It’s recalibration.
It’s timeline shifting.
And it’s a practice that has ripple effects.
It shifts your nervous system.
That shift affects your communication, your boundaries, your values, your priorities.
It changes you, and through you it can change your relationships, your home, your community, and the world.
Not for anyone else. Not for Instagram or TikTok. But for your own connection, reverence, and regulation.
And look, this act of choosing beauty, prioritizing and honoring and connecting with beauty, it can bring up all sorts of things:
Perhaps feelings of unworthiness, fear of judgment, people-pleasing, shame, grief, longing.
This can be part of the practice, illuminating some of our deep shadows, where there’s space to repattern and expand ourselves. This is where the cellular work can happen.
Let it happen. Observe without judgment. Allow the discomfort. Then turn to your breath and presence in the moment to settle you.
“I am safe. I am worthy of this beauty. This moment matters.”
I’ll be honest, I felt a little nervous writing this letter—because talking about beauty in times of chaos and collapse can feel risky or maybe even frivolous. But I truly believe that beauty is one of the most radical and regenerative practices we have.
It calms the body.
It returns us to wholeness.
It softens our interactions.
And it has the power to create real change—not just in us, but in the world we shape with our attention, energy, and love.
Sending you love and beauty today and beyond,
Xo
Morgan
This letter was originally shared in Morgan’s weekly newsletter, The Rugged and Fancy DISPATCH. Sign up to receive this weekly newsletter at the bottom of the page. It’s worth it!