This One's for the Girls

Sometimes I look in the mirror and I think, "Ugh. If I had a little less fat on my belly." Or "Ugh. If my teeth were just a little more straight and my boobs just a little bit bigger." I mean REAL insecurities. Things that I got made fun of in school for. Things that you want to hide on a first date or somehow distract them from. (Like when you wear a fancy headband because you didn't feel like brushing your hair so you put it in a messy bun and throw in a headband. don't lie, you've done it) 

When I am checking out at Wal-Mart and see ten magazines of perfectly sculpted bodies and think to myself, "Wow. I wish I looked like that. I need to hit the gym ASAP." 

It starts a spiral of negative self-talk. Which seems to be an incessant devil in your own mind if you even let one comment loose! I know, because I've been there. Negativity is all-consuming. It sucks the life out of you and throws you against a wall with every thought. 

But then I realized when I looked in the mirror, "Wow. You managed to work 9 hours and complete three exams for college and you STILL have eyeliner on! You go girl!" It was smudged. My eyes were droopy and tired. My foundation completely worn off, but hey, my eyeliner was still hanging on for me! It's the little things! It really is. 

Instead of berating myself when I look at a magazine in the check-out lane, I just stopped comparing myself to them. I started being genuinely happy for their success. Congratulating someone on their sculpted body, airbrushed skin and flawless hair feels a whole hell of a lot better than a negative slew of comments overwhelming my brain... In fact, it feels peaceful. Which is something that is hard to come across in the world we live in.

I realized that we each have the power to lift up other females. We have the power to stop gossiping, stop complaining, stop looking in the mirror and analyzing ourselves, and just start being FREE of all that negativity. And let me tell you, it is a joyous feeling. 

But don't be fooled. It doesn't come after a set amount of days. It doesn't come after you look in the mirror and see something GOOD. It doesn't come after ignoring the magazines and billboards. Actually, it is never really just THERE. This is something you work at with EVERY interaction. Every thought. Every comment. Until it gets easier and easier. Don't be afraid or discouraged when you keep feeling down on yourself, because everyone does! It's okay. What's not okay is to pack your positivity bags and give in to a negative self-image. 

I want you to remember you are beautiful. I want you to remember you are lucky to have the body and heart you were given, no one else can be you! Remember that. Remember at the end of a hard day, where you just want to cry and give in to negative self-talk, that you can make a difference in the world. It starts with your own mind. Your own self-talk. 

And then one day, when you're in line at a grocery store and your daughter looks at a magazine on the shelf, you can remind her how beautiful she is. How lucky she is to have her body and her heart and mind. You can show her every day by the confidence in your step, the conviction in your words, and the way you smile when you look in the mirror. 

You're beautiful.. Now go out and tell every girl you know; remind them how beautiful they are inside and out.