I am going to ask you to do something I don’t rarely ask of my readers today. I’d like to ask you to watch this video. All 3 minutes of it.
My friend and former co-worker Janet posted this on Facebook. Janet is known for posting thoughtful posts that make you reflect, that encourage you to pause, and that challenge you to consider greatness. I admire that in her, and I’ve never actually said it. Thank you, Janet, for taking the time to share tiny bits of your enormous heart with the rest of us. You inspire me.
Now, I’ll be honest, I don’t watch videos on Facebook. Not the funny ones where the hippos fart, not the ones of little ones giggling or being hysterical, it’s really rare. This video, however, caught my eye because it mentioned the Dove Beauty campaign.
About 4 years ago now, I was introduced to the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty through an organization I’m involved in. Dove’s campaign emphasizes REAL beauty and challenges women of all ages to have confidence in themselves and to recognize their own unique beauty. I just love this campaign… and as a woman, how can you not?
The reason I posted this video today is that it causes pause… and for me, it brought tears.
The women in the video were just like you and I. Pretty in their own way, and focused on their shortcomings. Gosh, why do we do this???
Notice, I say we. I do this too, especially when I’m describing myself to others… even if what I see in the mirror is something I love, I’m conditioned to be modest, I’m conditioned to be average, I’m conditioned not to share how happy I am with my looks. When someone tells me they like my new hair color, I dodge the compliment. WHY?
In every scenario depicted in the video, the woman described herself as less attractive than her counterpart. “The reality is that most of us can’t see our own beauty like the people around us can. We’re constantly underestimating ourselves. In fact, only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful.” Additionally, studies have found that only 11% of girls around the world feel comfortable using the word beautiful to describe their looks, showing that there is a universal increase in beauty pressure and a decrease in girls’ confidence as they grow older.
Is it really a narrower face that would make us more beautiful? Or is it the fact that someone once said your chin was pointy that causes the problem? Whatever the case might be… I think it’s BOGUS.
We are beautiful, and we need to start owning it. I know it’s hard, but ladies, we have to start doing this for the generations that follow. We have to set the example for our daughters and nieces and granddaughters that will follow in our footsteps. And, we have to do it for ourselves.
I challenge you to spend just a few minutes with yourself, and to examine your beauty… focus on those things that you like about yourself and look away from the areas you are critical of. Own your beauty
Can you tell me 3 things that you find beautiful about yourself?
I’ll go first… I know it can be uncomfortable, and don’t think these are things I talk about regularly. Here goes:
- My Skin. It’s been clear most my life, and I’m very lucky to have that!
- My Waist – While I have hips, my tiny waist makes me feel feminine and helps to create that hourglass figure like those pinup ladies of the past…
- My Lips. In my family, we have full lips. They’re feminine (unless you’re talking about my brother’s) and are fun to color in with bold lipsticks and glosses. They also frame my smile, which I try to use as much as possible.
Note: I am in no way compensated by Dove for this post; I’m just a fan of their Campaign for Real Beauty. 🙂