For The Love of Leah

Leah -Unlovely And Unloved

Are you a fan of daytime or nighttime soap operas? Do you binge-watch Reality TV? If being a voyeur into the dysfunction of other people thrills you, have I got a book for you! The Bible, the Old Testament in particular, is that book. Today’s episode: Toxic Triangle, the tale of Jacob and his two wives. It has deceit, greed, jealousy, sibling rivalry, and much more. Grab your popcorn and listen to the audible version. (You don’t want to get butter on the pages or screen). Jacob and Rachel usually get top billing. In this excerpt, for the love of Leah, she gets the starring role.

Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel. There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face.
Genesis 29:16-17
New Living Translation

Different interpretations described Leah’s eyes as delicate, weak, nice, soft, lovely, tender-eyed, and plain. Every version made it clear that Leah was not as pretty as the golden child, Rachel. Preachers said she had a lazy eye or was cross-eyed. Leah was always going to be 2nd Runner Up.

*Some scholars believed that Leah and Rachel were twins. I see the resemblance. Leah’s (right) expression does not show confidence or the belief that she is fearfully and wonderfully made.*

I wonder if Leah was truly ugly. Or was Rachel so stunning that Leah paled in comparison? Did Rachel receive so much praise and favor that Leah felt ugly and plain? Could this be the reason that Leah had no sparkle in her eyes? Perhaps Leah carried herself in an unattractive manner, with no smile, head down, and stooped shoulders.

Discounted Beauty

Poor Leah. She knew that her father did not see her as valuable enough to attract a husband. Marriage was the sole reason that daughters had worth. Jacob had to be manipulated into marrying her! To add insult to injury, she knew her husband did not want her or love her more than her sister/rival Rachel.

In this depiction, Leah (left) was not grotesque. Rachel was just adorned and enhanced a little more.

Knowing this family’s backstory, the events that unfolded should surprise no one. Jacob’s mother, Rebecca was Laban’s sister. Deception was evident in their bloodline when Rebecca goaded Jacob into cheating his brother, Esau out of his inheritance by tricking their father, Isaac.

Leah knew that her husband wasn’t attracted to her, yet he still bedded her. She thought having his sons would give her the love she so desperately wanted. After three bundles of boy, she realized that nothing she ever did would change Jacob’s feelings toward her. She was not Rachel.

Color Her Ugly

I wonder if Alice Walker’s inspiration was the story of Rachel and Leah from the Old Testament.

Mister was attracted to Nettie, even though she was too young. The selling points that Pa used for Celie were she was compliant, a good worker, and wouldn’t dare complain. That overruled his opinion that she was ugly and spoiled due to not just one but two out-of-wedlock children. Never mind Pa was the one who spoiled her. Pa did not bother to share any other of either daughter’s values. Mister didn’t put on a suit, grab a bouquet and ride on horseback for that.

Pa from The Color Purple has a counterpart in Jacob’s father-in-law/uncle, Laban. Both men had ulterior motives when it came to the girl children in their homes. Laban got 7 years of free labor from Jacob. Pa got to keep Nettie to himself.

Shug, Mister’s mistress pronounced her ugly before they were properly introduced. That declaration added another layer of wounds to Celie’s already basement-level self-esteem. At that time, there was not a soul who valued her. No one refuted those hurtful statements.

Leah/Celie, Ugly To The Bone?

Both of these sisters were the eldest. Instead of age being an asset, it was viewed as washed up and past their prime. Since they had not previously received marriage proposals, it was assumed that they were sloppy seconds because they did get picked in the first round. The community allowed this to reflect poorly on the women, not the men who were doing the choosing.

The saying goes, beauty is only skin deep but ugly is to the bone. The Temptations had a hit with the song Beauty’s Only Skin Deep. Some of the lyrics rub me the wrong way. They give backhanded compliment vibes. How would you feel if someone called into a radio station and dedicated this song to you?

good looks I learned to do without
a pretty face you may not possess
a pretty face maybe some guys taste
you have a pleasin’ personality (which could interpreted as, you ain’t cute)
show me a girl that’s fine and I’ll choose true lovin’ every time (Are these mutually exclusive?)

I should have known that Norman Whitfield had something to do with these lyrics. He also wrote Papa Was A Rolling Stone. The opening line of that ditty triggered lead singer, Dennis Edwards according to The Temptations Mini-series. But I digress. This song is not fair to aesthetically pleasing women either. Pretty women don’t deserve to be painted with a villainous brush.

To Be Loved

The comparison trap may make some of our gender feel unworthy and/or unloved, like Leah. When women look to other people or institutions like marriage for validation, they are sometimes disappointed. Rivalries like that between Rachel and Leah could be thwarted when we look to the God in us for security. Have you ever felt like you were competing with a beauty standard that impacted your worth? Share in the comments.