Standing up for Beauty

I absolutely LOVE this! I think Colbie Caillat is BEAUTIFUL--and yet even SHE has to be photoshopped to fit society's standard of "beautiful." I'm so glad that someone in the Hollywood scene is finally standing up for being beautiful--not this distorted and unrealistic junk we see everywhere, but real and true beautiful.

This video is so interesting to watch--not just for the message, but to see just how much they do to change people for a photo op.

Sunday Sweets--On Being Beautiful

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Butterfly

Lys Agnes is my favorite contestant on America's Got Talent--she's beautiful, inside and out, and her audition totally blew me away. She came in, dressed in street clothes, dreads, etc., and I totally expected her to start rapping or sing some gospel something or whatnot--but then she started singing, and it was like nohting I ever could have imagined. I guess she used to sing, but after her fiance was killed in a car accident, she stopped--there is a sad beauty to her voice sometimes--and it's just been such a treat to watch her come back and become what she is today. Check out this clip--it totally made me cry (what can I say, music speaks to me)--she's amazing!

Sunday Sweets #1

 [http://weheartit.com/entry/7734625]

[http://weheartit.com/entry/10051542]

[http://dianhasan.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/quotes-thoughts-on-being-unique/]

I have nothing more to add than a huge AMEN to that. <3

Recapturing Beauty: Day 10

Just because today is Day Ten doesn't mean that we need to stop recapturing beauty--keep on challenging yourself! I know I will, because Heaven knows I am far from perfect. However, if you are a BYU student and you completed the challenge, here is your job for Day Ten: Come to room 3220 from 6-7 for the closing challenge and to get your BEAUTIFUL T-shirt!
If you cannot attend tonight's challenge, then you can still go for option B, located here. This is a body image quiz, take it and compare: was your score higher or lower than you thought it would be? Reflect in your journal about where the 10 day challenge has taken you, and where you want to go from here. What can you continue to do to improve your body image?

WHY: Body acceptance is a lifelong process. Some days, we will do better than others. Every day we have to wake up and make a decision to love and accept ourselves, inside and out. As you continue to be mindful of your journey, you will find more and more freedom from comparing, negative self-talk, and more lasting self-confidence, based on the things that really matter: your relationships, your personality, your talents, and your relationship with God.

Recapturing Beauty: Day 9

Day nine is possibly my favorite so far--so there's not excuse NOT to do it!Today's Challenge: BODY KINDNESS. Be kind to your body today. Take a nap, go for a walk, enroll in a yoga class, get a massage, take a bubble bath, get a pedicure or manicure, or cook yourself a delicious meal.

Yes, I like today's challenge a lot.

Recapturing Beauty: Day 8

Alright, I don't know about you, but I've got to say that today is probably my hardest challenge thus far. Today's challenge is: SELF-TALK! Pay attention to your thoughts today. Ask yourself, How do my thoughts make me feel? Is what I'm thinking really true? Practice challenging your negative thoughts and replacing them with truthful ones.

Self-talk. Definitely not my forte in life--but it will be! Heck yes, everyone should have a wonderful conversation with themselves every day. I actually tried this on Sunday, I confess (I cheated and looked ahead, haha). I wore a new dress I finally finished (one I had started when I had surgery... yeah, took me a while to get to it), and making it had frustrated the heck out of me and quite honestly I hated the finished product. But, as I didn't want it to be a waste, I wore it to church yesterday. Knowing how mad I had been at the dress, before I even put it on I told myself, over and over and over, how beautiful I would look. And let me tell you, it totally worked! Yeah, it shocked me too. I felt so beautiful all day long, and it had nothing to do with external compliments or anything--in fact, I don't think I talked to any guys all day (which is saying something, haha). I didn't need someone else to tell me I was beautiful--because I felt it myself, and that's really the most important, right? Anyway, long story short--watch your self-talk, because everyone does it whether you think you do or not, and sadly more often than not women tend to have negative self-talk. So today--POSITIVITY!!! :)

Recapturing Beauty: Day 7

Whether we recognize it or not, this one is pretty hard. Only two percent of women describe themselves as beautiful? Tell me there's not something horribly wrong with that statistic! The fact is, whether we consciously think about it or whether it's a subconscious thing, what you see everyday is going to affect your perceptions about the world and about yourself--it just works that way. How do you perceive your world?So for today, tune out media--no TV, movies, magazines or internet surfing (blogging doesn't count, haha, since I'm blogging at this very moment obviously). Instead tune into nature. Notice a sunset, gaze at the stars, sit by a steam and listen to the water.

This morning I woke up hours before my alarm would have gone off, couldn't fall back asleep, and was pretty much overly ticked off--it's Sunday, I want to sleep! But when I finally gave in and got out of bed, I walked into a different world that I don't get to see everyday: the moon and stars were still shining out in the sky, with a morning light just beginning to sneak up over the mountains. A morning dove was out there somewhere cooing. I got to play with a very energized little Vera, who was happy as a clam as she pranced through the dew-covered grass outside. How often do we take such moments to sit and enjoy the world that God has given us? Not nearly enough. I'm not at all suggesting that you get up before the sun every day of course, but take some time to appreciate nature and what it can do for your body, heart, and soul.

Recapturing Beauty: Day 6

Day six: Beauty, in the end, is all about love--haven't you ever read BEAUTY AND THE BEAST? Yup, it's love--it's always about love, isn't it?

So for today's challenge, love yourself and others, aka: NO FAT TALK! Yes, we all do it, don't try to deny it--even in its simplest form, you know that you have participated in fat talk. So for today (and hopefully for the rest of your life! haha), refrain from talk about weight or shape of self and others. Be aware of how often you compare yourself to others, and evaluate how this makes you feel.

Recapturing Beauty: Day 5

Day 5--halfway there! Today's challenge: Exercise... FOR FUN! Choose a form of exercise that you enjoy, a form you wouldn't normally choose because it calls attention to your body.

Hahaha, well, anyone who knows me well enough knows that for me exercise is always fun! Endorphins make you happy--happy people don't kill their husbands. They just don't--so I just love it. But I do like today's challenge because it is not just about exercising but getting moving and getting out of your comfort zone--or at least out of your regular routine. Routines are wonderful, but sometimes adding a little spice is awesome too. I think I will try to go rock climbing sometime; Sean went to the Quarry the other day and it sounds like so much fun! And maybe I'll even get out and go Jet-Skiing again--or at least when it warms up--I haven't done that in ages, and that would certainly get me out of my comfort zone, because I mean, seriously, how many people feel comfortable strutting around in a bathing suit? But I will do it! :) Even just playing with my little Vera can be a workout, trust me. Whatever it is that you enjoy, or even what you think you might enjoy if you tried it, get out and do it! Good luck friends, and remember--exercise is not only AMAZING, but FUN!

Recapturing Beauty: Day 4

Things I love about myself--yes, I'm going to indulge in Day 3's challenge, deal with it--not a comprehensive list (that I shall keep to myself for now), but a few things I discovered about myself:

• I am terribly creative and have a phobia of thinking inside boxes.
• I love to make things beautiful.
• More often than not I can't help but smile.
• I have a cute, funny little laugh. :)
• I make my clothes. Heck yes.
• I love to make things for other people--especially sugary goodies.
• My eyes smile and sometimes even sparkle.
• I have adorable dimples.
• I'm a cute and cuddly little blond, but I could kick your butt if I needed to.
• Most of all, I am an absolutely beautiful daughter of God and am so happy to be me!

Anyhow, I hope you guys at least tried day 3--it's kind of fun to realize just how much there is to love about oneself--and not in a conceded way, you SHOULD love yourself! What's not to love, really?!

Today we are on to Day 4:

Today's challenge: get ready on the inside! You know, Albert Einstein didn't brush his hair because he calculated that it the time he took to brush his hair would add up to almost two entire years by the end of his life. Now, I most certainly am not promoting to NOT get ready--I am a strong advocate and looking and feeling your best, for sure! But the point is--how much time does it take to look beautiful? I would dare say that it takes less time than we often put into it--and how much time do we spend getting ready ON THE INSIDE? Isn't that just as important? Trust me, what's on the inside can be seen just as easily as what is on the outside--so give that inner beauty some serious quality time!

Recapturing Beauty: Day 3

It's interesting when you begin to see what beauty may actually be--beauty is something I believe we won't ever fully comprehend in this life, only because it is to vast--but it is something that brings us closer to God and helps us to understand the world. When I see beauty, I see the love and power of God--that's why I love the Humanities, because we are continually finding God in everything that we do! :) Anyway, the talk suggested by Day 2's challenge was wonderful; I absolutely, without a doubt agree with Elder Robbins statement:

"HAPPINESS IS THE MOST ATTRACTIVE ACCESSORY A YOUNG WOMAN CAN HAVE."

And I fully believe that that goes for a man as well; I can think of nothing more attractive than a wonderfully happy smile on a guy. That's what really makes me melt. I also love when he says that

"THE KIND OF MAN A VIRTUOUS WOMAN WANTS TO MARRY ALSO 'SEETH NOT' AS THE NATURAL MAN SEETH. HE WILL BE DRAWN TO THE TRUE BEAUTY SHE RADIATES FROM A PURE AND CHEERFUL HEART."

This isn't just a sugar-coated way to say that looks don't matter; if you ever meet one of these amazing guys that truly sees you in this way, that's when you will finally know what it means to feel and be beautiful. I can't really explain it, but when a man can see your true beauty, suddenly your entire being becomes beautiful, and you yourself can see it and feel it--and it's not a kind of beautiful that is solely superficial, but neither is it solely a hidden, inner kind of deal; it's the entire package, and that's a kind of beauty that money can never buy--that's beauty in its grandest manifestation. It's the best feeling in the world I think. :)

So, for today's challenge:

Make a list of 10 positive things you like about yourself that have nothing to do with your appearance--AND 10 positive things you like about your appearance. When I first heard this I didn't think I could do it, but you'd be amazed by just how many things there truly are to like about oneself--if only you will open your eyes and look!

Recapturing Beauty: Day 2

How did Day 1 go for you? It's amazing just how much our bodies do for us when you sit down to think about it--anything from breathing to seeing color to feeling the warm of the sun on your skin to more complex things, like running a marathon (for any crazies out there)--where would we be without our bodies? And yet we spend so much time criticizing them. It's just sad, and I know I am a culprit, so I am working hard to recognize all of the miraculous things my body allows me to do. So, now we are on to Day 2!

Our second challenge: learning what God's definition of beauty is, because let's face it--He kind of knows everything. Study what beauty is from a gospel perspective. Start by reading "True Beauty" by Elder Lynn G. Robbins (see lds.org) and 1 Samuel 16:7 and 1 Corinthians 3:16. According to these things, what is God's definition of beauty? And why do we struggle to actually believe and see it within ourselves? What holds you back from being beautiful in your own eyes?

Recapturing Beauty: Day 1

I have yet to met a woman out there who has, at one time or another, felt inadaquet in her beauty (including myself, more times than I care to recount), even though as daughter's of God we are inherently beautiful! Therefore, I am a huge fan of BYU's new RECAPTURING BEAUTY campaign. It's not just about promoting inner beauty, although that is extremely important, but even more than that it is about both inner and outer beauty--loving yourself as a whole. Beauty matters, but our perceptions of what beauty really is have become warped, so Recapturing Beauty is working towards really seeing beauty, inside and out, in everyone and everything. As part of this campaign, I encourage everyone to participate in the 10 DAY BEAUTY CHALLENGE, because I most certainly am! :)

So today, as seen in the picture above, start your journal for the challenge. Write for at least ten minutes and express gratitude for all the things your body allows you to do. Continue to write for at least 10 minutes each day throughout the challenge.

Also, refrain from weighing yourself today--and throughout the rest of the challenge!