Valuable Images.

I was perusing facebook this morning and I came across this photograph of my friend, Becka:

I have to say, I love the trend that I see happening among women lately.

So many are looking in the mirror and truly believing that they ARE beautiful.  For a myriad of reasons.  I know that this is a battle that has been fought across the ages and a battle that will be fought forever.  There will always be the girl who looks in the mirror and see ugly, fat, dirty...and other words that hurt her - every time - but maybe we can help that number to go DOWN instead of up.

It has become evident that women across the nation are not interested in the fake media portrayal of beauty.  The made-up, airbrushed images we see in the pages of our magazines...  I hope that most women can look at them now and say - I do not have to be this image in order to be beautiful.  I hope that our men will stand up and fight back when the media tells them that a particular image has to be their idea of what beauty is - that beauty is only surface, only skin.  I hope that men and women will learn, if they have not already done so, that beauty comes from the inside, the aura, the energy and soul of a woman - not from her clothing or hair or make-up or skin. 

I want to pose this challenge to you, my readers.  Take a picture of yourself in the mirror like Becka did, above.  Write "I am beautiful" on your mirror before you take the picture, and then write three reasons why (inner beauty stuff).  You can use dry erase marker and it comes right off (PROMISE!).  If you dare, send it to me to post on this blog.  You can send your photos to me at redefinedjuliet@gmail.com.  (Images deemed inappropriate for this readership will not be posted.)

 Please share this post with your friends, neighbors, and family members.  Encourage them to join "The Mirror Project".  I'll post submitted photos every Friday on this blog, so the project can keep going and gain momentum.  Do it for yourself.  Do it for your daughter.  Do it for the girls you mentor and the girlfriends in your life.  Just do it!

If you don't have the courage right now to take the picture and send it to R.J. for posting, still take the picture.  Still write down your three things.  Leave the ink on the mirror so you can remember!  And post the photo somewhere you'll see it and be reminded.

To all my male readers out there - encourage your wife, girlfriend, or daughter to take part and tell her why.  Help her to find that inner beauty and point out the beautiful things.  Encourage your sister or best friend.  Let's take this small step toward breaking the paradigm that beauty is only skin deep.