Own Your Beauty

On the heals of the ugliness of the Marie Claire article (if you don't know what I'm talking about, check out my post from yesterday here) I discovered today a wonderful campaign going on over at BlogHer.

Here's how the hosts of this campaign describe it:
Own Your Beauty is a groundbreaking, year-long movement bringing women together to change the conversation about what beauty means. Our mission: to encourage and remind grown women that it is never too late to learn to love one's self and influence the lives of those around us - our mothers, friends, children, neighbors. We can shift our minds and hearts and change the path we follow in the pursuit of authentic beauty.

How perfect is that?  For me it feels especially timely as I have recently had some gentle nudging to focus on myself a little, take the time to do what I need to feel better about the way I look and to simply be ME.  I'm clearly not the model type but for years now I've given up even trying.  And despite how we are taught not to judge a book by its cover, its simply human nature to come to some conclusions about people based on what we see.  The message I'd been sending was pretty much saying I didn't much enjoy life and didn't really care.  I figured I was a good person and that the people who mattered knew that and if someone didn't care enough to get to know me, then that was their loss.  But the truth is that eventually, the image we put out begins to affect how we feel.  It affects how we feel about ourselves and it affects how we interact with the world and the joy we find.  As I slowly buried the beauty externally, I started to forget about the beauty internally as well.  This not to say that, I'm suddenly thrilled with everything about my appearance, or that I'm content with what is a very unhealthy weight.  But simply that I am trying to do my best to feel as good as I can where I am.  I DO have some good assets, yes even physically.  And if I try I can feel good.  It's amazing what a little change can do for you.  And like it or not, it changes how people view you too.  

My most noticeable recent change was a new hairstyle as well as some new color.  There have been a few people who were a little confused, and not sure they liked the color.  But I'm in love with it.  I think people were confused because I've been hiding.  I've always been one to be a little different and loved to change things up regularly.  But for some reason I'd fallen into a plain jane mode.  Convincing myself it was about the lack of time and money to keep up with anything more than a annual hair cut! But THIS is me!  Yes I'm a thirty something mom of 3 boys with PINK hair!  It's fun and sassy and...it's me!  Maybe you just haven't met that ME yet.  It's ok, I'm just getting reacquainted with her too.  But I'm pretty sure you'll like her!  She's the type of person who's brave enough to head downtown with a friend IN THE MIDDLE of the week, and who sings in the car without stopping because she hits a stoplight and someone might see her.  She's the type of person who's willing to enter a contest for a blogging job that is essentially a popularity contest, without immediately convincing herself its a waste of time.  SHE IS AUTHENTIC! Love it or leave it, this is ME!