Okay, I am completely in love with this video. It is so amazing and inspirational. I know that if every single one of us were to participate in this challenge, we would all have similar results. Because we don't realize how beautiful we really are. There have been so many times when a family member, friend, or even my husband will see me [or a picture of me] and comment on how beautiful I am. And what do I do? Downplay it. Oh, no I'm not. You're crazy... That's not even a good picture of me... I didn't even get ready today... I look so fat... I am totally breaking out and I look awful... etc. We all come up with excuses or reasons as to why we aren't that beautiful. We are our own worst enemies. But if we could only see ourselves through everyone else's eyes [not to mention God's eyes] we would probably be surprised at how much more beautiful we are than we really think.
Such an amazing message, right?
Now here is something that makes me upset. THIS article. In this article, the writer starts talking about how this video isn't all that great because "people of color" are only shown for all of 10 seconds in this video, or because Dove only chose blonde haired, light skinned, blue eyed people for this video and therefore implying that particular look the definition of "true beauty." And then they say that this video makes it seems like women are invaluable if they are not beautiful in a certain way. That because one of the women says that she "should be more grateful for her natural beauty, because it affects everything" that she is saying that our beauty affects our personal life and career.
Okay, first of all, what? And second of all, WHAT? That is so annoying. Why do people have to go in and take away from something so amazing? The only point of this video was to make women see that they are beautiful. Because guess what? Every woman IS beautiful. And they should recognize it, and they should always feel confident about it. [And I know for a fact that the way you present yourself does impact your personal life and your career. If you go into a job interview and you are self conscious about how you look or about your qualifications, you will not be able to present yourself in the best light. It's the same with dating. You just need to be comfortable and confident in your own skin!] I had a guy friend in high school who used to always say "every girl is attractive, I'm just not attracted to every girl." I love this. Because it's so true. Every woman is beautiful, even if it's not in the way that the world perceives beauty or the way that a certain person perceives beauty. Things like this really frustrate me.
Anyway. Enough with my rant.
I am obsessed with this video, and it is something that we should all remember. I have this friend who I used to work with who is literally one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. Ever. [You know who you are.] And it always makes me so sad every time I would compliment her because she would just play it off. She doesn't even realize that she's stunning, inside and out, because she is only focusing on the flaws that she sees. But the thing is, no one else even sees them, you know? And I think most of us are the same way. We compare our weaknesses to everyone else's strengths, ultimately setting ourselves up for failure. Instead of dwelling on the things that we may not like about ourselves, we should focus on the things we LOVE about ourselves.
I challenge ALL OF YOU to post 5 things that you love about yourselves [physical attributes OR personality traits] on your blog [or if you don't have a blog, comment on this post. Or simply write it in your journal, or somewhere that you will see it everyday.] And every time you think of something else you really like about yourself, add it to the list! I think it's so important to realize all of the wonderful qualities and traits we are blessed with and to focus on those. Be positive. Be happy. Be yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself. Dwelling on the negative will get you nowhere.
This is not something that I have completely mastered yet, but this video has definitely helped me put things into perspective. So I am going to start this challenge myself. I hope you all participate!
5 Things I Love About Myself:
1. I love my curves. For the longest time I struggled with my body and thought that I was fat because I had a big chest and a big butt. But guess what? Now I LOVE them. [And so does my husband! ;]
2. I love my sense of humor. I love that I can laugh at things and not take too much offense to things. I love that I can just be happy and enjoy life.
3. I love that I am smart. I love that I can learn things quickly and I love that I am great at spelling. [2 time Spelling Bee champ right here!]
4. I love my feet. I know that it sounds weird because feet are gross. And I hate them. But I really like my feet because they are pretty cute. [Okay for real this is getting weird.] But I like them. And I think they look really good in any type of shoe. [Like, should I be a foot model or something? Molly--picture me acting like that hand model. Ew.]
5. I love my hair. I love the color [even though I change it from time to time] and I love how thick and full it is. I love that it holds a curl well and I love the volume.
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[This is a "Before and After" makeup shot that I took back in December before I cut my hair. Something that I have come to realize is that both pictures are beautiful.]
Embrace the beauty that God has blessed you with and do your best to recognize it, because everyone else does!
xoxo,
