The ‘Jesus Glow-Up’ Craze: How Christianity’s Beauty Standards Are Spiritually Abusing Women

Christian women are flooding social media with “Jesus glow-up” videos, claiming their newfound faith has made them physically more attractive. The trend is disturbing—and it reveals how evangelical culture continues to reduce women’s spiritual worth to their appearance (because apparently, Jesus is running some kind of divine makeover show). These TikTok and Instagram posts follow a predictable formula: “before” photos showing women in heavy makeup, alternative fashion, or party clothes, followed by “after” images of the same women in softer makeup and modest clothing. The message is clear: following Jesus makes you prettier, and prettier means more godly. One influencer posted dramatic before-and-after shots, writing “I can confirm that the Jesus glow is, in fact, real.” Another shared advice for achieving a “Christian glow up,” mixing spiritual practices like “Bible before phone” with beauty tips like “whole foods” and “dress in fine linens” (because nothing says biblical discipleship quite like linen fabric recommendations). Here’s the problem that Christianity Today somehow missed in their softball coverage of this trend: The “Jesus glow-up” is just purity culture with a Ring Light. It’s the same toxic messaging that has psychologically damaged evangelical women for decades, now optimized for social media engagement. The evangelical obsession with women’s appearance isn’t new. For generations, churches have taught women that their bodies are either stumbling blocks for men or rewards for righteousness. The “glow-up” trend simply repackages this harm with trendy visuals and upbeat music. Think about the psychological manipulation at work here. Women are being told that spiritual transformation should manifest as conventional physical attractiveness. If you don’t get “prettier” after conversion, what does that say about your faith? If you struggle with your appearance, are you not trusting God enough? (The anxiety this creates is a feature, not a bug—it keeps women dependent on church approval.) The trend also reinforces racist and ableist beauty standards under the guise of spiritual growth. The “before” photos often show women with darker or alternative aesthetics, while the “after” photos conform to white, middle-class beauty norms. Disabled women, older women, and women who don’t fit conventional beauty standards are implicitly excluded from this “evidence” of God’s blessing. Former evangelical women are speaking out about the damage caused by these beauty-based spiritual hierarchies. Many report years of therapy to undo the message that their worth to God—and their community—was tied to their physical appearance. The “Jesus glow-up” trend threatens to create a new generation of women measuring their spiritual progress with selfies. What makes this particularly insidious is how reasonable it sounds on the surface. Of course people who quit drinking and get more sleep might look healthier! Of course someone who finds peace might smile more! But that reasonable veneer disguises the return of “godly beauty” standards that have historically been used to control and shame women. The evangelical church has a long history of weaponizing women’s insecurities about their appearance. From “modest is hottest” purity culture to “biblical beauty” standards, these teachings create eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and deep shame that persists long after women leave the faith. Young women deserve better than a Christianity that reduces their spiritual transformation to a makeover montage. They deserve a faith that values their minds, their contributions, and their inherent dignity—not their ability to perform conventional attractiveness for social media validation. The “Jesus glow-up” trend isn’t harmless fun. It’s spiritual abuse with good lighting, perpetuating the lie that women’s bodies are the primary site of their spiritual worth. Until evangelical culture stops treating women like divine beauty pageant contestants, these harmful trends will keep recycling—each one causing real psychological damage to real women seeking genuine faith. Source: Christianity Today