This is a guest post by my daughter.
I read a variey of different blogs online, a lot of them having to do with living healthy lifestyles.
One blog I like is Operation Beautiful.
The concept was developed by one blogger, Caitlin, who began sticking Post-It notes on the mirrors of public bathrooms with little messages like “You are beautiful!” and “You are amazing just the way you are!”
She took pictures of the “You are Beautiful” notes and posted them on her healthy living blog and the project took off!
Women from all over began posting notes in bathrooms, bookstores, grocery stores, gym locker room, pretty much anywhere. Operation Beautiful became its own website and now Caitlin just published the Operation Beautiful book. The idea has been really successful and its been really fun to follow the blog and it’s success.
I think Operation Beautiful is trying to achieve something that is really hard in our society — promoting positive self-esteem in girls. Even with the best parents, friends and teachers growing up, it is hard to ignore the internal pressure telling you to look and be a certain way.
I never remember anyone specifically telling me I wasn’t pretty, cute, smart or talented. In fact, I remember my parents always telling me that those things were true!
Regardless I still had those handful of years that I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I’m sure it played a role in my later addiction, drugs being a way to give me a false confidence and euphoria. They also caused me to lose weight, enabling me to think I found a “quick fix” to my problems.
In reality, I may have shed a few pounds, but I probably look 100 times worse than before with my new, poor complexion and pale skin.
Years later I can honestly say I am a very different girl than I was between the ages of 15-20. I wake up (almost!) everyday happy with my life and the things I have accomplished. Getting an education and doing well at my jobs helped with my self-esteem more than anything in the past.
Unfortunately though, I still have those days where my clothes don’t fit right, I hate my haircut, I wish I wasn’t so pale, and so on. It’s hard to imagine have ZERO days like that, and because most days I wake up happy and content, they become easier to get through. I have to give so much credit for my new perception of myself on my journey through recovery.
You learn how to live a better way — without constantly hurting the people around you and you actually start to like who you are.
I was really excited to see a book like Operation Beautiful, where people spread self-confidence around and in return gain some of their own. I have yet to read it, but think it would be a great choice for any teen or pre-teen girl to read.
Did you feel beautiful growing up? How can we make young women feel beautiful and have self confidence? Share your thoughts and ideas in comments.
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