Even though Ginny Owens, blind since she was 2, can't see herself in a mirror, she still struggles with self-image and what it means to be beautiful—in the eyes of the world, and in the eyes of God. She's learning to listen more to the latter than the former, but it's a journey. Owens documents some of that journey on Beautiful (Rocketown), her most recent CD. In the song "Call Me Beautiful," she confesses to "waiting for a hero who's brave and strong/Someone to love me, someone to tell me I belong," only to discover that God's love is the key to self-image and inner beauty. Ginny stopped by our office recently to talk about the new album—and about what she's learned about the definition of beauty, inside and out.

You've said Beautiful fits like a comfortable pair of jeans. Could you not say that about your previous albums?

Ginny Owens: I think yes and no. With the first two records, even though I wrote the lyrics and the melodies, the production and the whole vision for the record was not my idea. On this one, I had a vision from the beginning, a pretty strong sense of where I wanted to go with this record. And it all just kind of came together really naturally. But I think every record has been a reflection of where I was when I wrote the record.

So maybe they were all comfortable jeans at the time.

Owens: Maybe. But this one does feel like the most comfortable because it's the most involved I've been in overall.

I hear you wrote a lot of this record while traveling in a van last spring. Is that true?

Owens: Yes. I was on tour with Derek Webb and my road manager, just me and a couple of guys. I prefer to write when I'm alone, but I and finally just thought, They're not going to let me drive, so I might as well find something to do. I had some ideas and was doing some studying. I don't know that I wrote any complete songs on the van trips, but I had enough inspiration to get a good majority of them started and then to just kind of continue to craft them when I went home.

Let's talk about Beautiful, and your thoughts behind it. You've said you struggle with the same self-image issues many women struggle with, but for many women, that struggle is complicated by the mirror. For you, what have been the advantages and disadvantages of not being able to look in a mirror?

Owens: Great question. I think the advantage is I don't have to analyze myself every time I walk past a mirror. I'm not faced with images of myself all day long. But the disadvantages are that I am forced to rely on other people's verbal affirmation of me more than other people would have to. I might wonder, Gosh, does my hair look all right? Things like that make me think it'd be a better if I had the advantage of a mirror.

Who are the mirrors in your life?

Owens: One of the things I've learned in this business is that my mirror cannot be everybody. I need selective mirrors—people who will give me their honest opinions. I have a couple of friends who have pretty opposite opinions, so if they agree on something, then it must be right. I've hired a person to help me pick out clothes for wearing on stage and stuff. Then I'll take those clothes to my two friends who have opposite styles, and if they both agree on the clothes, then I know they're good.

Many women see the images in magazines, movies and on TV, and they compare themselves to those culturally defined images as standards of beauty. Since you can't see those images, have you been spared the temptation to compare yourself to those images?

Owens: No, definitely not. Especially since I'm often on the road with guys all the time. And they'll talk about girls very matter-of-factly, like "She's hot," or, "She's got a pretty face, but she has really bad teeth," or all kinds of crazy stuff. Sometimes I think, Man, what do they say about me when I'm not around? They could be so critical and over-analytical of every girl and every feature. And I, especially getting older as a single girl, start to worry about, Gosh, am I going to make the cut ever? Are guys going to ever see me as pretty enough to be interested in? Or whatever. That all comes from those images.

I feel bad for guys, though. The image of girls on magazines or TV is that they're always perfect. So guys kind of have this model that they compare all the rest of us to. Not only that, but for guys, there's nothing left to the imagination; if they want to see a hot, scantily clad girl, it's not hard to do. I think that makes the challenge even greater for guys not to be tempted. Thus it makes a challenge for girls to remain a woman of integrity and yet to - I don't want to say "be in the game," because that's not exactly what I mean. But the cultural definition of "beautiful" has changed so much that I think it's a huge challenge for women.

You've said you've always been the girl who goes without make up and doesn't think about beauty. Is that just the way you are, or a result of your disability?

Owens: I think it's the way I am. I think it's a little bit of a defense mechanism. Kind of like, Well, if I make sure I look the best I possibly can and guys still aren't interested in me, then wow, I don't have any excuse. I'm sure there's a little bit of that in me. But more than that, I'm just always in a hurry and I think, As long as my hair is brushed and clean, as long as I've taken a shower, I'm fine. If I could see, my perception would probably be different. But I just don't think too much about it.

But you have to think about it in a business that's so image-conscious. With MTV and such an image-driven culture, it seems like today if you're really good looking, you can make it to the top of the charts without much talent. But it wasn't so long ago that you had to be good to make it to the top. What are your thoughts on that?

Owens: Interestingly enough, I think as much as MTV drives this generation's music, I honestly think artists gain popularity when they have music that people can sink their teeth into. To me, having looks and bad music in the pop world is no different from being a worship singer who keeps regurgitating songs that other people have sung a hundred times. To me, both are types of things that the general public, that the masses can get their brains around. Sing-able, simple melodies in pop music or in worship music make people happy. Music that's a little more intellectual, or a little left of center, is always going to have trouble finding its home. I don't think it has that much to do with looks. I think Brittany Spears is a great example. No matter how much skin she shows, she's not selling a vast amount of records right now. So obviously image is not always the most important thing.

That's been my experience. When people in the music industry tell me what to wear, that doesn't make people buy more records. When I change my hair or get better or more expensive clothes, that doesn't help me communicate from stage any better. And it doesn't help people get what I do any better. I'm certain that it helps the package, but as an artist, I know that really isn't what matters most to people in the end.

Enough about the "problem" of beauty. What about the solution? You've always known that your true beauty lies in Christ, but how does that move from being a mere cliché into a reality that actually affects the way you think and live?

Owens: It's starting to happen for me, and yet I have setbacks all the time. We don't ever "arrive." I feel guilty even talking my struggle with image, just because I haven't mastered it. I haven't walked through it and it's not over. I haven't shut the door on it. But part of believing something is saying it to ourselves over and over—and the discipline that comes with that is imperative. For me, if I don't spend much time with God, praying and reading what he's saying to me, then the whole thing about how he defines beauty starts to fade. I think it's an ongoing process of discipline of listening to God and learning to rest in his principles.

For more about Ginny Owens, visit our artist page for her. You'll find past interviews and reviews there, including our take on Beautiful. To listen to sound clips and buy Ginny's music, visit Christianbook.com.

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