I'm Beautiful and You Are Too

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I’m gorgeous. Seriously. I’m genetically predisposed to be curvy. All the woman on my dad’s side of our family are either curvy or “big boned” as we like to say in the South. For most of my life I’ve had long blonde hair that’s gradually darkened as I’ve grown older to become more dirty blonde. I’m also genetically predisposed to be short. That comes from my mom’s side of the family. Being short has never bothered me. I’ve always embraced it.

By the grace of God I’ve always been relatively confident about the way I look. Sure people haven’t always been kind. This was especially true during puberty in elementary (a recipe for disaster if ever there was one). But over all I look in the mirror and I’m happy.

I take pride in the way I look and each day I fix my hair, accessorize  and put on makeup. While spending time getting ready is one of my least favorite things I’m always thrilled with the results of the time I invested. Getting dressed from head to toe even has a way of staving off depression and anxiety.

Here’s the thing, our society doesn’t want me to comfortable in my own skin. It doesn’t believe me when I say that even when I eat healthy foods I don’t loose weight. It doesn’t like that my doctor each year always give me a clean bill of health. It wants me to be constantly comparing myself to the photoshopped celebrity on the magazine cover in the grocery line. Our society doesn’t want me to enjoy food but instead would prefer me to skip meals in favor of scouring Pinterst for thigh gap inspiration.

Guess what? I won’t do it. And you shouldn’t either. We all have our own struggles with beauty, comparison, and weight. But you and I were made in the image of the Creator. We are his daughters. He loves us and made us just the way we are. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. Whatever you’re season in life, whatever your current struggles, you are gorgeous!

So how about this, what if every morning for the next 30 days you look at yourself in the morning and say, “I am beautiful.” You don’t have to believe it at first and it’s ok to feel silly. But just do it everyday for 30 days. I dare you. It will change your life.

Below are some resources that I’ve found helpful in my view of body image and food:

• Renia wrote this fabulous post and this one too about woman's bodies and her view on food and exercise.
• Shauna Niequist shares about her honest love of food in Bread and Wine.
• This is the Pinterest board every woman should be following. Photoshop has lied to us and made crazy.     

So are you up for the challenge? Let me know in the comments below if you're going to tell yourself the truth, that you are beautiful, everyday for the next 30 days.