Worth.
It’s a small word that affects so much – how we see things and the value we give them. Unfortunately, we live in a society where we tend to over value things and under value people. And we let other people influence the way we value ourselves – what we feel our worth is…or isn’t. Being ‘pretty enough’, ‘thin enough’, ‘popular enough’, ‘athletic enough’…good enough. Media telling young women how they should or shouldn’t look, how they should act or be, what they should like, and very little telling them to embrace who you are – embrace your incredible uniqueness, the true beauty that you possess.
It weighs heavy on my heart that there are so many young women who question their worth, beauty and purpose. I have such a deep rooted need to fight this with everything I have in me. I think girls need something other than the media to tell them what beautiful is…to help them see how incredible they are, how stunning they are.
My model team and I discuss how social media and society today puts so much pressure on women to look a certain way, act like this or that, have to have these clothes, use this make up, or be this size…the list goes on and on. Media paints a picture of perfection that is unattainable, because the painted picture is exactly that…painted. Pictures of models that had professional hair and make up crews, personal trainers, and even then, the image is altered. This has always impacted my heart – but especially now, being a mom to a beautiful, spirited and amazing little girl – it kills me to think that she would ever allow someone other than God define her worth. That she would ever be inflicted with those thoughts and emotions of feeling not good enough. Everywhere we turn, there is something telling us we aren’t enough.
Except you are.
You are more than enough. You are perfection, just as you are.
You are beautiful – with your natural hair, no make up, exactly as you are – that is so beautiful. And there is so much more to you just a pretty face. You are brilliant, strong, funny, sassy. You are talented and unique. You are a good friend, a fiery soul and a stunning personality. You are fierce. No one else has your gifts and your story – regardless of how broken that may feel. Everything you are is beautiful. The things that you are passionate about, the way your eyes light up when you get excited or when you see someone you love. The way you laugh. The way you view the world. Your ambitions. The things that make your heart beat fast. All these things make you…and I’m telling you –
YOU ARE GORGEOUS!!
You are always more than media and the world tells you. You are always more than you give yourself credit for. There is always more fight in you, more strength, determination, ability and love in you than people tell you. You are always more than your history, than your mistakes, your brokenness. Life is messy, and you are always more than that mess. People hurt us, leave us broken, but you are always more than that brokenness, those hurtful words and horrible names.
You are not defined by these things.
You are infinitely and always more.
Just as you are.
So this is my heart…this is my passion and purpose. To help young women see their worth. To help them see that they are flawless, just as they are, right now, beautiful.
A few years ago, the team had the idea to take a stand against the societal pressures to look any different than we truly are, and do an all natural shoot. Pure, raw beauty in it’s truest form. Being unapologetically who we are. Vulnerable? Yes. Scary? For some. Brave and bold? Absolutely.
You see, I’m not taking a stand against the beauty industry. I tweeze and pluck, powder, mascara, curl and straighten with the rest of them. No judgement there. What I am standing against is the lie that we need to do those things in order to be beautiful. That we can own our God given beauty, come alongside other young women and embrace it. The thing is, society standards and beliefs won’t change if no one stands up and says we’re better than that. There’s strength and security in numbers. Empowerment when you’re surrounded by other young women thinking and feeling the same.
Self love, self worth and real beauty are so important in this world and we need more of it. More images of real women, owning and celebrating their natural beauty. Truth is, sometimes we have to see other people love themselves, see what it looks like to embrace oneself, to see someone be unapologetically who they are to feel like we can take a step in that direction ourselves.
So here’s the deal: we are doing just that.
Sunday, April 8 at 4 pm, we're meeting at the Lebanon Public Library gazebo to do a FREE all natural beauty shoot. Bring all your babes, wear whatever makes you feel the most beautiful, with no makeup, let your hair do it’s own thing, and come surround yourself with other women owning their beauty.
Join us in taking a stand against what we’re being told. Let’s take a step towards loving ourselves a little bit more. Let’s join together and tell one another WE ARE BEAUTIFUL, WORTHY + ENOUGH.
Let’s stand in that truth together.