Operation Beautiful

It's only been a few days since I hung my motivational bulletin board, but already, I'm seeing effects that I never imagined. The first quote that's starting a change in my life is by Ghandi, and it's a fairly popular one; "Be the change you wish to see in the world". It's pretty simple, but I always imagined it on such a large scale that I couldn't really apply it to my life. But sure enough, through a series of unexpected events, this quote has been at the front of my mind, and is leading me to take a real interest in promoting Operation Beautiful, which I hope everyone else will embrace as well. Check out the movement's website here: http://operationbeautiful.com/

I've been really spoiled throughout college with the friends that I've found. I didn't have many close girlfriends, but the ones I made in the past 4 years, and the ones that have stuck with me from high school despite the distance and time constraints, are such amazing women. I've been lucky enough to be surrounded by people who value others for the things that really matter: strength of character, sense of humor, intelligence, and dependability (just to name a few). In fact, I've been so surrounded by these people, that it was all too easy to forget that there are a lot of people out there who only value themselves for their ability to bring others down, and will do so in just about any way possible.

But these people ARE out there, and there are way too many of them. And after a recent run-in, it was way too easy to fall into the trap, and join the forces of hateful, catty, shallow women to fight back. Which is when the Ghandi quote really hit home for me. If I want to live in a world where women are more interested in encouraging each other, rather than pulling each other down, I have to start by being a person who does that. And, let's face it, that world is probably never going to happen while I'm still young. But when I think of my 7 year old cousin, who is an absolute knockout (with a great personality and fabulous mind to boot), I don't want her to ever have to deal with bitchy, catty girls who recognize her value, but would rather put her down for it than appreciate it.

It feels like we live in a world that is modeled after an episode of The Bachelor, and it's a no holds barred, anything goes competition for men, where we see every other female as the enemy. That's why Operation Beautiful is SUCH a cool thing. No one said men couldn't get involved, but the stories on the site are all about women bringing other women up, and encouraging them to see their own value and beauty without considering aesthetics. And the best part is, by being part of Operation Beautiful, you may not even know the woman you're encouraging. Many people leave encouraging notes on bathroom mirrors, lamp posts, and other high traffic public places. There's no way of knowing what woman will read the note and have her spirits lifted, but you can be sure that for someone, it will be the boost they need.

So who's with me? Who's ready to live in a world where a woman can recognize her own worth, regardless of what she sees in the mirror, and recognize the worth of others for things bigger and more important than their looks? I know I am. Let's make it happen.