“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart” and we need to let everyone have an equal chance to shine.
In high school I tried to start what I guess you could call a campaign about focusing on inner beauty rather than outward appearance. I continued it into college but life got busy and I abandoned it. It was brought to my attention the other day and my passion for spreading this message was reignited.
Women/girls of all ages struggle with their appearance and accepting themselves for who they are and many (too many) do destructive things to their bodies in the name of becoming more attractive. I think it is important for the female population, especially girls in elementary through high school, to be reminded of importance of inner beauty and to be encouraged to accept themselves for who they are rather than tearing themselves apart because they do not look like a model in a fashion magazine. Girls, and everyone for that matter, also need to be taught not to judge others by their appearance and to be careful about the comments they make because they can scar others for a lifetime.
To spread this message in the past I passed out sheer blue ribbons. The color was not of importance (probably because it was my favorite at the time) but because the see through ribbon was supposed to remind people to see through other’s outward appearance into who they really are.
To spread this message I am asking you to 1) encourage a friend, daughter, sister, mother, student, etc. about what makes them beautiful to you and be on the lookout for girls around you who need to hear this message before it’s too late. 2) Get a ribbon (you can email me your address to alightintheheart@gmail.com and I will send you one or several for you and your friends. We can convo about colors then. Or you can buy your own sheer ribbon (any color this time to represent the individuality in all of us) at any craft store. Wear this ribbon on your backpack, purse, diaper bag, gym bag, put it on your fridge or somewhere in your car – anywhere that will remind you that you are beautiful and to find the beauty in others! 3) Spread the word. Tell your friends and family and give them a ribbon as well!
Please email me with any encouraging stories, quotes, pictures, videos, etc. or pictures of you and friends with your ribbons or creative ways you have worn/used your ribbon that you would like add to the blog!
**Guys can certainly join in this effort too!! I know that they also can struggle with appearance and you can definitely join in encouraging the women around you and being mindful of how you judge/speak to girls.
Remember to just be you – no one is better at that than you are! :) Cheesy yes, but true.
