What is “Hot”?
By Mary Ellyn Weissman 

I recently auditioned for “The Hottest Mom In America” contest.  We were asked to define “hot” in 20 seconds or less. 

That was difficult!

”Hot” isn’t broken down so easily. It’s not an exotic face or a perfect figure nor how you dress. It’s not spectacular legs nor is it a well-endowed bustline.  

Hot is something much deeper. In fact, it’s so deep it’s inside us. We’ve all heard that “beauty is only skin-deep” but as I tell my students, so is ugly! If a woman is not beautiful inside, eventually, the people she meets can no longer “see” her physical features, but only see the less attractive side. 

Hot is what’s inside you that is projected to others. It’s about style, attitude, and self-confidence. Shape, size and age play no part in a truly beautiful woman. A beautiful woman can command and KEEP the attention of an entire room when she projects what is inside her to others.  

She is happy, she has character, and she is able to make those around her enjoy being with her. She attracts people and attention through her spirit and personality. 

External beauty is the first impression – It is projected for a few moments upon an initial contact with someone. However, internal beauty is something you carry with you everywhere and never fades over the years.  

Can we learn to be hot? If so, how? 

Mom did a good job raising me. Despite the normal insecurities of being a teenager, she was able to reinforce to me that I “pretty” by repeatedly telling me to “look in the mirror” and see that I was “beautiful”. Certainly this helped me growing up and I was comfortable with my looks. However, I also placed too much importance on my external features and my self-confidence and ultimate happiness was governed by weather my hair was perfectly styled, my make-up was impeccable, and that I had not one extra ounce of body fat! 

Over the years, I was enslaved by my physical appearance. Gaining 5 pounds or not fitting into my jeans made me feel ugly. I wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without make-up on and having a “bad hair day” meant I had a miserable life!  

It took years of growth and experience to realize that these things didn’t make me feel happy – in fact they were the very things that dragged me down. My friends didn’t like being around me when I was upset over gaining 5 pounds because I was miserable and I wasn’t fun to be with. 

Happiness, like beauty, came from the inside. It was something that depended completely on me, that I controlled and commanded. So, doing things that made me happy made me feel better. If I felt better I looked better.  

What do you do to make yourself feel good? Listen to your favorite music. Light a candle with your favorite scent. Maybe you buy something for yourself…a trendy outfit, a flashy piece of jewelry, a bouquet of flowers, even a sinful chocolate bar! 

Think back to the times you’ve been happy – you usually think of an occasion, not particularly about how you looked. It was the atmosphere that you enjoyed that controlled how you felt. You were doing something fun and you were having fun! 

Over the centuries, dancing has been a way of celebrating special occasions. It’s how we project that we feel happy or that we are having fun. Our favorite song starts up and we shed our inhibitions and we can’t help but move to the beat of a rhythm that inspires us. From elderly people who can’t help but tap their toes or clap their hands to a song that inspires them to those of us who can’t keep our hips or feet still when we hear our favorite song dancing is a way to project our inner feelings to others and share happiness.  

Do things that make you happy and you will be happy – and beautiful! 

Sing like no one is listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, and pole dance like no one is watching!