dove.

while at school the other day, a girl kept talking and showing people this video on youtube that dove had put out. i didn't get the chance to watch it but i finally did when i came home because i kept hearing so much about it. i thought it was quite interesting and it has been on my mind lately.

Elyse on this blog wrote about it and encouraged us to write about it as well.

so i am. because i think it's important.

and i may even steal some things from her post because it was just that good.

so elyse asked: how would you describe yourself? this is what i would normally say:

freckles. my body is boxed shape because i have a large rib cage. natural hair color is the color of a mouse. pink skin. huge bridge on my nose that pokes out making me resemble some sort of bird from my profile. small lips, crooked teeth cause i stopped wearing my retainer. naturally curly thin hair, but not the good kind. close set eyes. gnarly crooked and piggy fat fingers. long toes. small boobs {no boobs?}. no calves. big thighs.

i could go on..and this is probably not verbatim what i would say if someone asked to describe myself but still ... how sad is that? that i can just ramble off a million negative things about my appearance? 

here's a quote from Elyse's blog that i liked:

i sometimes get stuck in this rut...this rut of thinkin i'm not "pretty enough." which is silly...because what does "pretty enough" even mean? but i see people that have the perfect hair and those perfect bodies and the perfect smile and skin and nails and i just think...why?...why did i get dealt the crappy genes?

it's stupid to get together and talk about all the horrible things we think about our bodies and yet women do it all the time. i'm a hair dresser and i rarely get someone in my chair that just absolutely loves everything about their hair. there's always something to complain about:

it's stick straight

it's too curly

it's thin

it's too thick

it doesn't hold curl

it doesn't grow fast enough

it grows too fast

i'm going grey

my hair color sucks

i'm balding

 blah blah blah.

and i do it, too, guys! why do we do it? why can't we just love who we are and quit comparing our weaknesses to others strengths? it's destructive to our souls and our confidence as women.

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elyse also included this clip from mean girls and it's just oh so perfect for this topic i had to include it as well.

we have to stop doing this. and learn to love ourselves.

over the last few years i have become a lot better at accepting who i am and what i love about myself physically. you are born with what you're born with and there is no changing it, so start rockin what you got! it's been so liberating to feel comfortable with who i am and how i look.

embrace everything about you. the weird. the cute. the abnormal.

 and so i am going to do that right now. i think it's hard for anyone to do, but, today i am going to take Elyse's challenge and write down what i love about myself physically without coming back with a "but, i hate this..."

i love my freckles. they will forever give me a youthful look.
i love my eyes. i have pretty good eyelashes and my eye has a good shape.
i love my body type. i am built athletic and i love that.
i have learned to love my curly hair because it gives my otherwise thin hair the illusion of looking thicker. so thanks for that :)
i love my facial structure. my mother gave me great brow bones and cheekbones. 
and lastly ...i have learned to love my weirdy nose. i just look at noses and realize that everyone has weird noses...they're one of those things that makes you you! they have so much character! so yes..i love my bird nose :)

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my dad used to always say this to me and honestly it really did make me feel better :)

i loved this idea of really looking for the beauty in each of us and although it is rather hard i suggest you do it! take a few days and really find what you love about yourselves. i want to pass on the challenge and invite you to post in the comments a link to your blog or just comment about something you love about yourself! we are all beautiful and deserve to discover it and shout it on the internet rooftops! :)

because everyone is beautiful.

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