The popular series VeggieTales regularly emparts biblical and moral lessons in a fun and engaging way. Now with Sweetpea Beauty, for the first time the lesson is directed specifically toward girls—teaching young viewers the truth about beauty.
For this project, Big Idea enlisted the help of singer-songwriter Nichole Nordeman. who contributes the end credits song, “Beautiful for Me.” The artist also performs the song in the music video, available as a bonus feature on the DVD.
Nordeman points to her favorite scene in Sweetpea Beauty: The title character is in the forest finding beauty in “all sorts of unconventional things that might not be considered beautiful to anyone else.” Prince Larry asks how she’s able to find beauty in everything; Sweetpea replies that she doesn’t—it’s God who sees beauty in everything. She just chooses to agree with Him.
“I thought that was a great way to look at ourselves,” Nordeman says. “God’s the One who sees us as beautiful, and we can either choose to agree and say, ‘Thank You, I feel cherished and loved,’ or disagree and work like crazy to improve on His work.”
The song “Beautiful for Me” is written from God’s perspective, which she admits is a tricky thing.
“I so much wanted to capture that moment when a person realizes from the Lord’s vantage point how beautiful He really thinks she is,” Nordeman says. “How broken-hearted He must be when His own creation is so unhappy with the work He’s done and spends a lifetime trying to improve upon it. I just wonder if that doesn’t break His heart a little bit. So I really wanted the song to capture how much He adores us and how we captivate Him because He made us in His image. I hope the song does that.”
Most importantly of all, Sweetpea Beauty speaks truth to girls and provides healthy influence for them.
“The lesson itself is timeless and hardly new,” the songwriter says. “We’ve been talking about this as women and girls for years and years and years: true beauty, inner beauty, Godly beauty. But I think this will resonate deeply with a young audience because it’s VeggieTales, and they have a way of communicating things in an utterly unique way.
“For us moms, it’s a hugely important opportunity to sit with your daughters and let this be a conversation starter. Sit down. Watch it together. Talk about maybe how you felt growing up. What were some things you weren’t crazy about the way you looked? And how do you feel about yourself now?
“I have always believed that moms who have healthy self-images have daughters who have healthy self-images.”
—Anna Robbins