Sunday, July 20, 2014

What's Right in the World: Reasons to be Beautiful

This one makes me feel good.

Life on social media can be exhausting. It is a balancing act of information and connection juxtaposed against judgment and outrage on facebook. Then there's dream homes and gourmet meals (pinterest), being witty in 140 character or less (twitter), and looking absolutely fabulous (instagram). That's only the media I'm involved in, since I avoid dating sites and video sharing like vine.

With so many places for people to judge and criticize your every step, it's nice to have a small movement like the chain post making its way on facebook. It's simply a friend challenging you to post a collage of five pictures where you felt your most beautiful.

It's a nice gesture, but also a challenging one for those battling self esteem issues. When I look at pictures of myself, I see the big nose, the wild hair, the belly I can't get rid of, and an awkward facial expression designed to camouflage what I see as my freak dough face when I attempt a jovial grin.

Also known as someone who desperately needs to believe she's beautiful, somehow.

It doesn't help I'm watching Say Yes to the Dress to see bitchy, judgmental women sitting on a couch doing a number on prospective brides preparing for the day when all eyes are on her.

I guess I'm grateful to my friend Haylea for the challenge, although it's fraught with obstacles. Although I'm my own worst critic, there is a number of people out there that would like to apply for the position, under the guise of tough love. And for some, the high school mean girl never goes away, even in a backhanded compliment like, "oh, so you think you're all that?" Sigh.

I guess I'd like to stay positive and find five pics that radiate happy. And maybe this time, make it all about me instead of beautiful by extension of who I am with, avoiding "without you, I'm nothing" thoughts.

Five go me pictures. I think I can do this.

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