Beauty

Beauty. I didn’t know anything about beauty. I even worked for a few years in the beauty industry. Beauty is often packaged by the powers that be based on profitablity and subjective preferences. I bought into that package. I wanted to live in that package, I wanted to BE that package. But I never was. I never could fit into that package all neat and tidy. I constantly had to change and manipulate myself to even try to fit in that package. I mean, lets just break down the world I worked in - beauty industry. That means there is an industry defining what beauty is. There is an industry defining us. Please raise your hand if you’re done being defined by an industry!

These women, these courageous, brave, stunning women all raised their hands in defiance of that industry when they sent me their picture. I simply asked them, please send me your favorite picture of yourself (just your face) and tell me why you love it.

In their most vulnerable, these women stepped out of that “industry” and stepped into their own beauty. They defined it for themselves. I get goosebumps every time I think of each woman photoed here saying just that. “Here I am in my own uniqueness, my own flaws, my own and I AM BEAUTIFUL. I am no longer a package based on an industry standard. I am enough. I am full. I am beauty. I define beauty because quite simply, I am.

I have now chosen a different path of beauty. One that cannot be packaged for profit and defined. I am now a student of beauty, dedicating my life’s work to seeking, admiring, acknowledging and living in beauty. Simply because that is the world I want to live in and I want my children to live in - an undefined limitless beautiful world. That is what I choose. In my studies and observations I have learned this. We are called to live in beauty. We are called to be beauty. We are called to acknowledge it. It is the physical manifestation of the Great Mysteries. When we acknowledge beauty, we acknowledge the Divine, we are in harmony with the gifts that have been given. We are able to receive the gifts of beauty given and truly live. To live in beauty is to feel. When we feel beautiful, when we receive beauty, when we acknowledge beauty - we are beautiful and truly living.

There is a catch to all this. Its all good to acknowledge it and admire beauty. But we have to LIVE in it. There is no shame in being beautiful. Often times we are told to cover up, don’t be too much, don’t shine too bright. We dull ourselves, our own light, our own beauty (often because of industry standards and because beauty is the physical manifestation and creation of God. To see God in beauty is equal parts frightening and pure. We often let our fear get in the way so we stuff down our beauty or believe that we aren’t enough) So, when I say these women are the bravest I know - the pushed through the fear and owned their beauty. They are standing in their own beauty and unapologetically sharing it with the world. “Here I am. I am beautiful because I was created and that is beauty. I am here to share it.”

The catch to living in beauty is that we HAVE to stand in our own beauty. To be able to admire another’s beauty WHILE still appreciating our own. That’s the catch. Appreciating our own. its taking me years to figure this out. Years of working in the industry. Years of trying to fit into the package and failing. Years - 30+ of them - to understand this. To step out of jealousy, comparison, judgements (all fear and anger based feelings) to be able to stand in my own beauty - to admire other’s beauty while still appreciating mine. To live in sisterhood, the sweet waters where comparison, judgments and definitions do not exist. Where we can all stand in our own, elevating one another as a tribe as a sisterhood.

The other catch is this - to live is to FEEL. To feel is to be alive. To be alive is beautiful. Please read the why’s of these brave and beautiful women . The why is how they feel. They are all truly living in beauty.

These women are of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, different education levels, they are from around the world, English may not be their native tongue, some are married, some are single, some or divorced, some are widows, some have children, some are childless, some have grandchildren. SO different, yet so similar. What ties us together is our beauty, our grace, our bravery. The top line in the collage is all the women in my family - 4 generations. I celebrate them and myself for being my closet tribe; for teaching me beauty. For what we see in others, is what is reflected back to us. If you acknowledge the beauty in others, you admire it in yourself.

I received so much. Its has healed and transformed me to be a part of this project. My dream would be to have over a million faces, I want to be overwhelmed, bursting, flooded with photos of women saying “Here I am, in my beauty and this is why.”

And from the mouth of my daughter.

“I like all the pictures of myself.”

“Why?”

“Because its me. Just me.”

My prayer is to be as brave, vulnerable and accepting of ourselves as she is and just as these women are. This is my prayer for the world.

“I was happy in the picture. I took extra time with my make-up. I was adorned with a flower”

“Surviving motherhood - my outer beauty took a backseat because I stopped taking care of myself. Not taking care of myself wasn’t serving me very well (or others) So I’m on a new path, to have my inner and outer Being reflect ME. My essence. Who I truly am. This is how I want to represent myself. Firstly, to honor myself and then to share this with others. On this particular day, I was heading on an 9 hour family road trip and I could have easily said, “Screw it, whats the point, I’ll be sitting in a car all day, I have more important things to do before we leave the house, more important than me.” But instead I said to myself, “I am beautiful. I want to practice self-care. I CAN take time to honor myself.” So instead of just making breakfast, loading up the car and rushing out the door, I took 15 minutes to honor myself. And you know what? This was the most PEACEFUL family trip, all because I took 15 minutes for myself. Because I felt peace, happiness, confidence inside and it also extended outside to those around me.”

“I’m getting over a cold, but had to go into work. I blew my nose, took my Vitamin C, put on some lipstick and made it into the office. I am woman. hear me ROAR. Watch me endure. And have some serious resolve.”

“I just had my hair colored and I felt like a million bucks.”

“I felt peace and balance.”

“This picture represents a turning point in my healing, in becoming who I was meant to be.”

“I had just gotten that shirt and a lovely handwritten card from my bestie in the UK. I had sent her a big box of goodies after she had her baby and when the fog cleared,s he sent me this shirt from an entrepreneur mother who makes these to support women in war torn countries rebuild their lives. I was at the park with my two boys as they caught crawdads and was feeling gratitude for the sisterhood of motherhood, even thousands of miles away. I am so glad that society doesn’t require us to be monogamous in our friendships and we can have so many different stages of love throughout our lives.”

“I just had my hair colored and felt awesome…but not just I had it colored…but because i had gotten FUNKY colors in. Having fun, silly color always makes me feel sexy and sassy.”

“It was my birthday. I had a new dress on. I danced at an outdoor music event in a beautiful park with lot of loved ones. I felt free, beautiful and I felt love.”

“I love this because I feel at ease, content, peaceful. I made this scarf from a dish towel. I breathed new life into it. Sustainability through art. I felt just right in just the right moment. I felt like me. When I see this, I see me. And on top of it, I have very little make-up on. Through all the medical issues and years of pain - most of that expressing though my skin, I love that this picture expresses my healing, my journey and how far I have come.”

“I love this photo because it feels like me. I normally hate having my picture taken, but I was closing my eyes and dancing so I forgot about it for a hyper second. I was feeling super happy and blissed out”

“This is my favorite picture because of all the associated memories and because its a good representations of myself.”

“Because I am genuinely happy in a serene setting with my dad who just turned 83 and whom I haven’t seen in around 4 years…I had an amazing visit with him, really filled my heart.”

“I like it because I feel like it shows who I am. Often calm and soft but with direct gaze forward to the future. With no fear. I also like it because I am not wearing much make-up. In a way I did not try hard and the result came out very natural.”

“Because color doesn’t matter and I was dressed for an interview to go back to being a working woman in addition to being a mother of two.”

“Its a good photo which reflects the joy that I feel.”

“This is me peeking over the edge of a cliff. I didn't take a graceful swan dive into the sea of love. It would be months before we admitted what we were. But this night was the beginning of my descent. I was letting go of the life I had planned, and holding on to something I didn't know I wanted. Deep down I knew. And that, my friend, is the reason for the smile on my face.”

If you would like to be a part of IamProjectWarrior the Project of Beauty please share. I am launching an even bigger brighter Beauty project. If you want to be a part of it or interested in being a part of the project, get in touch. Be Brave. Be Beautiful. Warrior On.

When you see these women photoed - thank them for their courage and admire their beauty while still appreciating yours-.