What is beauty, and why is it important?
Does beauty connect with our overall well-being?
Do we feel our most beautiful when we feel our most healthy?
These are questions that iconic supermodel and founder of WelleCo, Elle Macpherson, has dedicated her life to exploring.
Famously nicknamed "The Body" for her physique, Elle Macpherson is no stranger to the idea of idealized beauty or discourse around the topic. But over the course of her remarkable life and personal health journey, Elle's understanding of what's truly beautiful has grown far beyond just appearances.
Beauty is not a result of wellness, she says. Beauty is wellness, where our physical, spiritual, and mental well-being are in natural harmony. When we take care of our health, we feel beautiful and experience a powerful sense of confidence, contentment, and empowerment.
Delving into Elle's wisdom, a new cultural paradigm emerges. One that celebrates the inseparable connection between well-being, beauty, health, and the soul.
"The way I see it, beauty is soul deep. It's not just skin deep. It's a way of being. It's a way of living. And wellness enables people to exude confidence and strength and charisma."
How has the definition of beauty changed throughout your life?
Elle: You know, I used to think that beauty equals youth. But today, I recognize that wellness equals beauty. And that's a big shift.
Why does beauty matter?
Elle: Beauty matters to me because I believe beauty is the fabric of everything. When you witness beauty in another human being, in yourself, in nature, that feeling that wells up inside of you is love. I find that to be truly magical.
Where or when do you feel most beautiful?
Elle: I feel my most beautiful when I'm in nature. When I'm framed by the backdrop of nature, the wind in my hair, the sun caressing my back, the sunlight pouring down. Or when my face is met by the beautiful morning light. When I'm just me, sleepy and flushed from a night of magical dreams and meditation. That's when I feel my most beautiful.
Growing up as a child, what was your understanding of beauty?
Elle: I come from Australia. In Australia, we grew up believing that beauty was a sunset. It was the waves on Bondi Beach. It was the sunshine. It was this smell of the eucalyptus trees and the breeze on a hot balmy afternoon. That was my perspective of beauty as a child. It was never really about humans.
What do you personally think makes someone beautiful?
Elle: We all have our own unique spirit. When we witness and recognize that in one another, that's where the beauty lies.
What does wellness mean to you?
Elle: Wellness for me is the connection between emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental well-being. It's that beautiful, magical weaving of all those elements in one intrinsic journey of getting to know yourself.
If you can give your body a message, what would you tell your body?
Elle: I'm in divine health. And my body has the capacity to heal itself if given the right environment. I fully believe that.
What does freedom in your body feel and look like?
Elle: I feel free, I am free. There's nothing better than the feeling of freedom within my body and mind and spirit. Freedom is everything. It's not just in my body. It's in my spirit. It's in my mind, in my emotions. It's in my intellect. It's in my capacity to think outside the box. It's in the freedom to be me, unapologetically and profoundly myself at every given moment.
What is the most sacred thing nature brings into your life?
Elle: The most sacred learning that I've received from nature is that we are nature. We are one and the same. We are the beauty of the trees, we are the whisper in the wind, we are the taste of the salt from the sea, and the rhythm of the waves. We are the beauty of a flower blossom and the richness of the soil and its microbiome. We are nature.
What words describe what it's like to be a mother?
Elle: Unconditional love, nurturing, guidance, presence, joy. It's such an honor to have been chosen to be a sacred portal to my two sons. Bringing them into this world and guiding them through their journey is a true privilege.
What has been the biggest lesson your health journey has taught you?
Elle: The biggest lesson I've learned in my health journey is that my emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental bodies are inextricably linked, intrinsically linked. And I can't compartmentalize them. I've learned the value of the coherence between my inner and outer selves. My emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental bodies are all connected. I am a spiritual being.
Elle is passionate about challenging perceptions of health as solely scientific endeavors and beauty as simple aesthetics. If we embrace the notion that beauty is not skin-deep, but rather "soul deep" as Elle says, we open ourselves to a better understanding and greater appreciation for our bodies, minds, hearts, and overall well-being.
