absolutely flabulous

What Beautiful Looks Like

October 12th, 2007

Here’s another liberating thought:

So what would it look like to be beautiful today? That’s a hard question for most girls and women. The quick response would usually entail adjectives such as taller, thinner, blonder, straighter teeth, wider eyes, smaller nose, or a myriad of other physical features.

What if you looked in a mirror and saw the words “this is what beautiful looks like” right above your reflection?

I volunteer with the Eating Disorders Action Group and this is what we’re bringing to people in our community – a mirror with those words over it, and the opportunity to see one’s self under that heading, in full public view. It is unnerving for some and liberating for others. But without changing a thing about a person’s appearance, they can go from ugly to beautiful with only a shift in perception.

I wanted to try it out. So I started a Flickr pool. (Yes, another one.) Go ahead and give it a shot. What do you look like right now, today, this minute? This is what beautiful looks like.

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Advocacy, Feel Good Friday, Meta, Tidbit

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18 Responses to What Beautiful Looks Like

  1. Kate Harding, on October 12th, 2007 at 8:51 am Said:

    Awesome.

    What if you looked in a mirror and saw the words “this is what beautiful looks like” right above your reflection?

    When I was younger, I used to drink in a bar where someone had written over the ladies’ bathroom mirror, “This is not a trick mirror. You are beautiful.”

    The first time I saw it, it made my eyes well up.

    I might have been drunk, sure. But still. Things as simple as this can be incredibly powerful.

  2. superblondgirl, on October 12th, 2007 at 9:35 am Said:

    I think if that was over my mirror, I would cry every time I looked at it. Not that I don’t realize that maybe, just maybe, I’m still beautiful. Sort of. But seeing it written out? That would just make me sob, and I can’t say exactly why. Just something powerful about it.

  3. Tari, on October 12th, 2007 at 9:44 am Said:

    This reminds me of a mural in downtown Chicago that I pass all the time, put together by this group. And the dressing room graffiti project. AWESOME.

  4. Heather, on October 12th, 2007 at 11:31 am Said:

    I just took a self portrait with my cell phone and said out loud This is What Beautiful Looks Like when I was looking at it. And I burst into tears. Wow. That was something. It was true.

  5. K, on October 12th, 2007 at 12:50 pm Said:

    I don’t think I would want to be THAT beautiful, actually.

    I once met a girl who is stunningly beautiful. Really. Breathtakingly. Naturally. And I genuinely couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying, because I was too distracted by looking at her.

    Bear in mind, I’m female and straight.

    So… I think that might be a slight disadvantage in life, similar to not being taken seriously because of looking younger than you are.

    I think I’m beautiful sometimes, and the rest of the time I’m moderately attractive, and that’ll do me. After all, we are more than our looks…

  6. goldiloks08, on October 12th, 2007 at 1:26 pm Said:

    i did it! i wrote “this is what beautiful looks like” on the mirror directly across from my bed. now i’ll see that every time i walk into my room. it is a really kool thought.

    [okay, y’all are going to hate me, but please respond to my post in the flickr pool. i’m srsly clueless.]

  7. ladyjaye, on October 12th, 2007 at 3:26 pm Said:

    goldiloks, I answered your question over at flickr. You’ll see, it’s very simple. :)

  8. Margart, on October 12th, 2007 at 3:58 pm Said:

    That’s such a great idea! I’ve looked at myself and said “you are beautiful” before on days when I was feeling down about myself though. It’s quite a burst of positive energy. :D

  9. Violet, on October 12th, 2007 at 4:34 pm Said:

    I love simple positive ideas like this. I did it and it felt weird, especially since I am sick with a cold and my hair is all matted and my nose is red. But I am going to do it again tomorrow!

  10. Violet, on October 12th, 2007 at 4:36 pm Said:

    This is one of the things I love about my husband. At least a couple of times a week, he just looks at me and says, “you’re beautiful.” I know self-esteem comes from within, but it feels good to hear from someone else too.

  11. Margaret, on October 12th, 2007 at 5:10 pm Said:

    Did I seriously spell my name as “Margart”? Wow.

    Stupid keyboard. The ‘e’ (and ‘t’ and ‘f’ and ‘s’ and many others) all require special pressure to get them to work. Sigh.

  12. mo pie, on October 12th, 2007 at 6:50 pm Said:

    I love the photos! I’ll post one tonight, but please keep ’em coming!

  13. Rosemary Grace, on October 12th, 2007 at 9:26 pm Said:

    I hear and obey MoPie! I looked up at my work computer and thought “hey, I have photobooth!” So I took a photo RIGHT THEN, like you told me, and added it to the pool. Then I thought “crap I need a haircut”. Little bit against the spirit of the project, but I’ll keep trying.

    It’s weird today because I got a laser treatment on the surgery scar on my face. It should be a good thing, but it’s made me feel so much more aware of the scar than I usually am that I’ve been feeling fragile all day.

  14. *raven*, on October 15th, 2007 at 12:09 am Said:

    ok the first one i picked thru so i could find one i liked but then i thought, and posted, why the hell isn’t what i look like right now good enough?? and I have decided it is and posted it, but now i have two big heads on there, lol this is what beautiful looks like …. i love it, thanx xx

  15. Melissa, on November 6th, 2007 at 8:54 pm Said:

    I am 42. I have wanted to be beautiful my whole life. I know I never will be and it is literally destroying me. That is all that seems to matter in this world.

  16. ANGELA, on July 31st, 2008 at 11:15 am Said:

    I weighed in today @ 132.6 being 5’6″ and my lying scale said BMI of 28.3 I have always been underweight till the last 2 yrs because of surgery and accidents. Now I am in the overweight category according to my scale. I am a size 7 in Juniors. When did this become overweight. I totally skipped normal weight!! Where was it I missed it ! People still say I am skinny all the time. But the goverment has labeled me different. I guess I need to work out 7 days a week w/ a personal trainer to become marathon ready in shape to be “normal”. wish I had a picture for you to judge. I also have long legs and arms and my waist even when I was a size 3 and 12% unhealthy BMI my waist was never smaller than 28 inches. They do not account for body type at all! Sorry rants from the skinny fat person!! This is BS to try to adhere to. PS My Dr thinks I am good and was glad I gained weight!

  17. La Wade, on July 31st, 2008 at 12:06 pm Said:

    Angela, it sounds like your scale is either broken or it thinks you’re 3 feet tall. At 5’6″ and 132.6 lbs you have a BMI of 21.4, which is on the low end of the “normal” range.

  18. Jordon Wineinger, on June 26th, 2010 at 7:14 am Said:

    I bookmarked this site a while ago because of the interesting content and I have never been disappointed. Continue the outstanding work.

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