I am Beautiful
Being the mother of a beautiful daughter, I am determined to be a good role model for her and provide her as much information as I can to arm her for her future as a woman. Not to be inattentive to my son, I hope to show him the world of respecting women, as well.
I do not want my children to grow up with the idea that there is a predefined notion of beauty rather that beauty is open to interpretation. I struggled through high school trying to discover myself as beautiful. Little did I know if I would have stopped, smiled and accepted me for me, I would have had that glow of beauty I so longed for.
When the folks at Sourcebooks asked if I would participate in the I am Beautiful Blog Tour, I jumped at the chance! Self esteem and self acceptance were not my thing, until I met my husband. Through his eyes, I saw that I am beautiful. That and through the eyes of my children. I want my daughter and son to have that much sooner.
The following is an interview with the author, Woody Winfree, part of the I am Beautiful Blog Tour. It is an amazing collection of stories from an amazing group of girls.
We Are More Than Beautiful for teen girls is the latest addition to the work of the I Am Beautiful Project, an initiative committed to producing creative and educational works that encourage personal growth and discovery for women and girls of all ages.
Author, Woody Winfree says the project’s mission is simple: to create a world in which every woman and girl can proudly proclaim, “I AM BEAUTIFUL!”
What is the I Am Beautiful Project all about?
It is about changing the definition of beauty in our culture – one girl at a time, one woman at a time. Quite dramatically, the mass media has chipped away at our sense of beauty and well-being by presenting a singular, narrow and distorted image of female beauty: super-thin bodies, topped by large, perky breasts, with flawless youthful faces surrounded by shiny bouncy hair –and of course, sparkly white, perfectly straight teeth! This suggestion of beauty is not only wrong, it is a LIE. In truth, only three percent of the U.S. female population has the genetic makeup to look like this ideal. That means 97% of us are spending billions of dollars, untold hours of our lives and huge amounts of happiness in an attempt to pursue this distorted ideal.
In sum, the I Am Beautiful Project is about books and films, and workshops and seminars — and anything else I might think to create along the way – that help guide women and girls to change their perspective about the definition of beauty. Beauty is NOT the size of our waists, or the cascade of our hair. Rather, beauty is the sum of our talents, accomplishments, intellect, contribution to our families and communities, and every other measure of living a life that deeply matters.
Can the book be used by mothers with their daughters?
Absolutely! My hope is that mothers and daughters will read it together and use its stories as a springboard for ongoing conversations. Conversations about:
The true definition of beauty
How the culture distorts that definition – and why
Why a narrow, distorted definition is harmful
Who are the women and girls in our lives that we find most beautiful – and do they embody the cultural ideal of beauty – or a deeper, more meaningful definition?
How we can enjoy the fun and frivolity, even the consumerism, of American life without buying into notion that we must alter our natural features in order to feel beautiful, make friends, get good grades, get ahead and on and on.
I encourage mothers and daughters to write their own essays together, to deeply contemplate what makes them beautiful, then write it down. Share it with one another. Put their written answer in a place where they see it every day – maybe next to their toothbrush, or on their nightstand. Read it again and again. Slowly, over time it is my promise that this simple act can have powerful results.
Why do you believe that naming our beauty is so essential?
When we give “voice” to anything, ascribe literal words to a thought or idea, a major shift begins to take place. It might be ever so subtle in the beginning, but in time the act evolves into a concrete declaration of fact. I also believe that we deserve to know and feel our beauty. I believe it is our right, our spiritual right. Can we reach our full potential in this one precious life we have been honored with if we are chasing an artificial ideal of our self-worth? This is the ultimate question that we must ask ourselves – and guide our young daughters looking up to us to do the same.
What else are you up to with the I Am Beautiful Project?
I speak frequently to various audiences of women and girls on this subject. From colleges and universities around the country to high schools, at companies and more. These seminars and workshops are designed to dig deeper into the issues we have explored in this interview. These events are listed on my website: www.iambeautiful.com
My website also recommends other books and web links on this subject, as well as tips on building better self-esteem. Please visit! Please write with any questions.
Sounds Great!
And Chelle…You ARE beautiful.
I worry that my daughter will have a bad body concept. So far, though, she knows she’s gorgeous.
Sounds like an interesting book.
Yes, you are beautiful, with beautiful children, and you what’s more important, it’s obvious in your writing that you have beauty and passion within. I wish I could write as well as you do!
Hmm, I have to admit, I have mixed feelings on this. Not that you aren’t beautiful, or that the ideals of the campaign are wrong, but it’s the glove and hand effect. Perhaps it’s needed, although perhaps if, as a society, we just focused as woman and girl’s other attributes *more* it wouldn’t be. The little girl who is told how pretty she is, while the little boy is told how smart he or athletic he is (gross generalization, but happens).
Although, they say more boys are having eating disorders as men are portrayed less healthy in the media as well.
What an odd society we are.
I personally think this is phenomenal. There is so much emphasis on what people think is beautiful and those definitions should not define us individually.
What a cool book!
Thanks for the post. I am going to forward this to my sister. She has two daughters and with her oldest (10) has already had to deal with some of the “beauty” issues.
I like you didn’t realize my own beauty until I was much older.
What a great message for kids. And the rest of us, too!
What a great initiative! Kudos to you for being aware of what you want to teach both of your children about women and beauty. I have two sons of my own and have been doing my best to instill in them the true value of women and what really consitutes a beautiful person.
Please check out the Beautiful Women Project. It is a photo-documentary that has a very simple message: it is the sum of a woman’s life experiences that make her beautiful. It tells the life stories of thirty five women ages three through ninety - and they are beautiful and amazing. There is also a book that has just been released that has all of the stories and pictures. Let me know what you think!
that sounds wonderful. it’s a topic that concerns most mothers of girls i think.
thank you for sharing.
I loved this post. You are beautiful inside and out. Your children are gorgeous and they are blessed to have you as a mom. This sounds wonderful. So many girls (who grow up to be women) feel less than…that’s just wrong.
Excellent post Chelle–and I know what you mean. It’s just so important nowadays with all the other role models girls could have.
Whilst I’d have to admit that I hate words ‘role model’ in this particular instance, you are of course right!
Cheers
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