I find it interesting that the standard of beauty is still "tall and skinny". Fashion designers continue to try and perpetuate this standard by hiring skinny women for their fashion shows and photo shoots. If you wear plus size clothing, you usually have to shop in a specialty store, and as my friend has exclaimed on more than one occasion, "I can't find anything cute in those stores!" On a side note, nowadays there are plenty of plus size clothing stores online that do carry very cute styles.
Yes, I could blame the fashion industry for continuing to expose us to images of thin, young, air-brushed models. After all, those magazines are right in your face every time you pay for something at the grocery store. However, it's up to each and every one of us not to continue buying those magazines. Keep reminding yourself that these images are just illusions. Read more...
Today I came across the The Inner Beauty Project where women have written empowering letters to themselves, so I was inspired to write this letter too...
Dear Maria,
You are beautiful. Never forget that.
Yes, you're getting older, but that doesn't mean you're losing that youthfulness and beauty. In fact, you are much more beautiful now because of your wisdom. You're much more confident in your skin than you were back in your 20's. People around you can see that. Read more...
I always like to discover different perspectives and definitions of beauty - especially from young women. In this video, high school girls from Australia share what true beauty means to them.
I love flowers. My favorite subjects in my paintings are flowers. When I go walking in the neighborhood, I always stop to admire the beautiful flowers in my neighbor's yards. And if you follow me on Flickr, you would notice all the flower photos I've taken over the years.
With all the projects on my plate, it's been a challenge to read other blogs. There are very few blogs that I read, but when I do, synchronicity always comes into play. I read something that's been on my mind and is so good that it needs to be shared.
There are three actor's whom I deeply admire: 1) Kate Hudson for her boho, carefree spirit, 2) Drew Barrymore for her fun, down-to-earth personality despite being in the limelight since childhood, and 3) Julia Roberts for her true inner beauty that makes her outer beauty shine.
Julia was featured on the cover of Elle's Semptember 2010 issue, plus 21+ pages of Eat, Pray, Love inspired photo shoots. The result: inspiration to the highest degree. I read the interview and actually felt her energy oozing from the magazine's pages. Will Blythe did an excellent job with the writing, which gave us further insight into the mind of a world-class beauty. Read more...
The recipe for beauty is to have less illusion and more Soul, to retreat from the belief of pain or pleasure in the body into the unchanging calm and glorious freedom of spiritual harmony.
Here is an interesting article in which the author states that reality TV shouldn't be our standard of true beauty. It's an interesting perspective and something to consider. There are a few comments posted to think about as well.
The show that Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks put together,"True Beauty", premiered last night. There's only one word to describe it: Funny.
I'm not one to judge people, but I still find it amazing that there are people out there who are really full of themselves!
In case you don't know, "True Beauty" is a show that puts contestants together who think they're on the show to compete to be the most beautiful person. Little do they know that the judges are actually judging them on their inner beauty vs. their outer beauty. They're put through a series of "tests" to see how they'll act - all the while the judges are watching them through hidden cameras.
The winner of this contest gets $100K plus a spread in People Magazine's "100 Most Beautiful People".
So, who will be the finalists for the show? Well, based on first impressions, these are my top 3 picks:
There are three actor's whom I deeply admire: 1) Kate Hudson for her boho, carefree spirit, 2) Drew Barrymore for her fun, down-to-earth personality despite being in the limelight since childhood, and 3) Julia Roberts for her true inner beauty that makes her outer beauty shine.
The show that Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks put together,"