I can't keep quiet anymore. I recently read a friend's post about how she might wear a sleeveless shirt this summer despite her "arm issues." I hear my students saying how they are too fat, too short, hate their skin, etc. You are beautiful. If we all looked the same, how boring this world would be? Who has the right to tell you what you should look like?
I know there are things we may all want to change - I would like to lose a few pounds. So I'll lay off the ice cream for a bit and walk the dogs or work on more fencing at the farm - exercise and less calories, and I can achieve the change I seek. But you know what, even at my current weight - I am beautiful.
I teach a Stage Makeup class, and since my students must look in the mirror for every class, we begin the semester by looking at ourselves and repeating, "There is nothing wrong with my face." Any time they whine about, "I hate my nose, (chin, skin, forehead - add the appropriate facial feature) I tell them to repeat it again - there is nothing wrong with my face. If I say something negative about myself - usually my "bad hair days", they will throw it back to me - there is nothing wrong with your hair! The best thing that happened this term was when one of those students had her photo on the campus web site and someone asked about the photo, which was not complimentary She replied that she had no idea why they used that photo, "because it is a bad picture, and I AM PRETTY!" What a victory to hear a young woman say that and mean it!
I constantly see photos of pathetic celebrity women who have bought into the Hollywood ideal that to be successful you must be young and wrinkle free. They have destroyed their natural beauty with plastic surgery, Botox, and silicone injections, and they look sad and unnatural. What a shame.
Embrace each wrinkle - they say, "I have smiled a lot. Squinted on a sunny day. Worried about someone. LIVED."
You are beautiful. Believe it.
I know there are things we may all want to change - I would like to lose a few pounds. So I'll lay off the ice cream for a bit and walk the dogs or work on more fencing at the farm - exercise and less calories, and I can achieve the change I seek. But you know what, even at my current weight - I am beautiful.
I teach a Stage Makeup class, and since my students must look in the mirror for every class, we begin the semester by looking at ourselves and repeating, "There is nothing wrong with my face." Any time they whine about, "I hate my nose, (chin, skin, forehead - add the appropriate facial feature) I tell them to repeat it again - there is nothing wrong with my face. If I say something negative about myself - usually my "bad hair days", they will throw it back to me - there is nothing wrong with your hair! The best thing that happened this term was when one of those students had her photo on the campus web site and someone asked about the photo, which was not complimentary She replied that she had no idea why they used that photo, "because it is a bad picture, and I AM PRETTY!" What a victory to hear a young woman say that and mean it!
I constantly see photos of pathetic celebrity women who have bought into the Hollywood ideal that to be successful you must be young and wrinkle free. They have destroyed their natural beauty with plastic surgery, Botox, and silicone injections, and they look sad and unnatural. What a shame.
Embrace each wrinkle - they say, "I have smiled a lot. Squinted on a sunny day. Worried about someone. LIVED."
You are beautiful. Believe it.
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