Hey there pretty people!
Today I'm participating in a unique FTLOB linky party called "Embrace the Face."
It's different from other linky parties because it's more than posting about the yummy recipe you made or what inspirations you found on Pinterest...
it's more like a mission, and I encourage you all to join in :)
It's a topic I have explored before in my No Makeup Moment but didn't fully embrace the message, and that message is:
"Beauty comes from within."
How many times do we look in the mirror and immediately start criticizing ourselves? Our self talk can be much worse than what any bully has ever said to us...
I remember specifically in the fifth grade one of the prettiest girls in my class said I look like a wooly mammoth because I had thick eyebrows and didn't pluck them yet. I went straight home, took a razor, and shaved right down the middle of my eyebrows.
I remember in middle school there was this kid that said I had a horse face, probably because my face is oval and my front teeth are kinda big. I've been self conscious of my teeth ever since.
I remember someone calling me "coon" in the eighth grade because I started wearing black eyeliner and didn't know how to apply it yet. I have since perfected the winged liner look, but I always wonder if it's too much.
Much more people have told me how beautiful I am over the years, so why do I latch on to the negative remarks and forget about the positive?
It's difficult to tell ourselves that we're beautiful. We believe the negative, and instead of embracing our true beauty, we try to convince ourselves how ugly we are so that it agrees with what has been rooted deep in our subconscious. Pretty soon every time we look in the mirror we start focusing on every single flaw, like...
I look like a monster with all this acne on my face.
Are my eyes too close together?
My eyebrows are so manly.
I hate the way I look without bangs.
Why does my mouth have to droop to one side?
I wish my smile was symmetrical.
I really, really hate my snaggle tooth that sticks out.
When I moved away I learned a lot about myself without the pressures of high school, and eventually grew into my beauty. I realized what people had said about me in the past no longer mattered. Life wasn't a popularity contest. Life to me was figuring out who I was and loving that person inside no matter what flaws are exposed on the outside.
I am a beautiful woman.
I love my dark brown eyes and extra long lashes.
The beauty mark above my lip makes me feel like a movie star.
My dad once said my thick eyebrows reminded him of Brook Shields.
Even though my smile is crooked, it has good character.
My nose is quite cute and proportionate to my face.
No one seems to notice my acne because my smile shines through.
I know that I'm beautiful, and anyone who thinks differently obviously does not matter.
If I've learned anything from watching seventeen seasons of America's Next Top Model, it's that beauty resides in our flaws and insecurities. We may have been ugly ducklings at some point, but there is a swan inside all of us, and when she is free she is able to share her beauty with the rest of the world.
Embrace it, love it, show it...
You are so beautiful! I think I may just have to participate in this :)
ReplyDeleteYou're such a beautiful young woman ! I loved this post and I still remember all the negative feelings that came from high school, from being 15...all the insecurities ! I wouldn't go back to those times ! I love your blog and I am your newest follower ! Kisses from Italy
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You are so beautiful! I need to do this too! I have a lot of those awful memories from growing up too. School is harsh!! The real world is a lot easier sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAw love this post! It's all so true. How you said that we tend to remember the negative more than the positive... I remember in 8 or 9th grade, this chick called me an ostrich because I was so tall (I'm barely 5"10) and I've never forgotten it. But you're right, we need to let go of those memories and let the positive ones take over! :)
ReplyDeletethank you! this was truly inspiring, wonderful and most importantly----beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYou are gorgeous and I love this post. Very inspirational! I may have to participate too! :P
ReplyDeleteI've said it before, and I'll say it again -- you're adorable! So very pretty. It makes me so sad to learn that people told you anything different when you were growing up, but happy to know that you're starting to move past the nasty things they said.
ReplyDeleteI was called some pretty horrible things as a kid. I've mostly overcome it -- boy, that took a long time -- but sometimes it comes to the surface. At those times, I tell myself, I'm the same whether I look like a beauty queen or not. Smart, funny, kind, stubborn, and addicted to chocolate. :)
Now see here my lovely... I am utterly, ridiculously jealous of your eyebrows, they are beautiful! I have always wanted thick, dark eyebrows because I think they look lush! I know you'll think that "this is a post about the things I hate about myself, of yourse people are going to compliment them!" but in total honesty, 1. My sister has two snagged teeth that stick out and I have always been obsessed with them! I think my teeth are so so boring and have always thought that her smile looked tonnes prettier and more interesting than mine! So be proud of your teeth because there is always someone out there who wants a smile like yours! 2. I have a beauty spot above the right side of my lip and I used to hate it, then one day I thought, actually that looks pretty cool, I look like a hollywood babe! And 3. Your face is a mixture of your two most favourite people in the world and there is nothing more magical than that x
ReplyDeletePs. Your hair looks so shiny and pretty!x
ReplyDeletebeautifully written kristen! and you are a beautiful woman don't let anyone tell you different!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. So positive and so inspirational!
ReplyDeleteYou are b-e-a-u-tiful! Don't even let the haters hate! But I know what you mean. Once someone told me I had a unibrow, I'm super obsessed with my eyebrows.
ReplyDeleteYou are BEAUTIFUL.Whoever complained I just want to stomp on their feet.So there!Such an inspiring post-I'm not surprised :)
ReplyDeleteHave a good week ^_^