On Sunday, I get to shave. And I'm SO EXCITED! In my last post, I mentioned that the project wouldn't end until I "got it." After I wrote that post, I put on capri pants and went to shoot a photo of seven high school senior pom girls. I didn't bat an eye. I didn't make awkward jokes about my legs. I didn't mention it. I didn't even care if they saw it and thought horrible, negative thoughts about me. I spent some time before we went meditating about my own negative self talk and decided I really needed to grow up and be the 38-year-old woman whose skin I'm in and be the self-assured mom I want for my daughters. My little pep talk worked...it actually worked, which is why we need to continue to assure the girls in our lives that they are beautiful just as they are!
Am I happy with my body? No...I have a pulse, and so long as I do I will probably always feel something negative about my physical shell. But I have always and will always be more concerned about the inner me. Thank goodness I have always been confident with who I am on the inside, so I don't have to fake it. I'm proud of me. I bring a lot to the table, so to speak, and I've always walked with self confidence because of it. But having very long hair on my legs did two things to me:
1. It made me understand what it means to be REALLY self conscience about my body. I realize that there are things about our physical beings that make us uncomfortable because society says it's not quite right. It could be our size, our shape, our height, our weight, the way our eyes look, our noses, lips....you name it! The industry that is selling us products to make us look "better" is so good at making us feel like the way we look isn't right. It's a huge issue for some girls and women. Others are good at not only recognizing the lies, but ignoring them. Those gals are so amazing, and we can learn so much from them! I discovered I'm more in the middle than I thought I was, and that I need to get closer to the side where I accept my body for what it is! Walking around with long hair on my legs was an exercise in how I can compose myself when there's something about me that I don't feel confident about it. I learned to embrace my whole self and be proud! It took a lot of work, but it was such a worthwhile exercise.
And...
2. I discovered I really like smooth legs and armpits. Not shaving for 60 days made me feel "unclean." And I know it's not true and I realize that shaving is a cultural standard that someone is thrusting upon me. But I don't care. Smooth legs and hairless armpits makes me feel good about myself. I'm not drastically altering my appearance. I consider it not much different than grooming the hair on my head. I like it a certain way. (Dan was very good about this exercise, and he learned something, too -- women's legs look better without hair. It was just plain weird, especially because it was so dark, crazy and patchy! LOL!)
If you've been following along, you know I did this to be a part of Girls on the Run Founder Molly Barker's Naked Face Project, an initiative she began when an 8-year-old girl asked her why she wears makeup and she didn't have an answer she was happy to give her. And now, she's invited you to join her! She's inviting all women to shed something comfortable for just one day. Can you pick just one of these things to do on Saturday? I think I can do No. 1 and No. 2, and I love so many others on this list I may need to commit to a few others, too!
Here's what Molly has to say (you can read her entire blog entry at http://mollybarker.com/author/wanderingthroughnothingness/:
To show my support of all the spirited, courageous and brilliant 8 year old girls of theworld (including the spirited, courageous and brilliant one who lives in me), I am going to participate in the “Naked Face Project Celebration” for one entire day-- March 31st. I do this as a symbolic gesture…to bring attention to a broader, bigger, fuller, more empowered view of girls/women than is frequently portrayed in the media, our culture and society . I want the world to see just how beautiful, strong, confident and connectedgirls and women can be and really ARE…everyone of us, no matter our age, our ethnicity, where we live in the world or our upbringing. We are all beautiful, strong and remarkable in our own unique way!
I am choosing to participate in the Naked Face Project Celebration as a way to honor the strength, confidence, authenticity, wonder and beauty of all the amazing 8 year old girls in the world (and the one who still lives in me) by doing one or more of the following on March 31st!
- Post a profile pic of myself on Facebook, Twitter or some other social media website, Naked Faced.
- Write about it on my blog.
- Invite all my friends and colleagues to participate.
- Write a letter (or post on their website) to a magazine or television network and let them know you’d like to see more positive messages about girls and women in their publications and on their airwaves.
- Take an 8 year old out to dinner and tell her how beautiful and amazing she is.
- Take an 80 year old out to dinner and tell her how beautiful and amazing she is.
- Send a thank you card to my mother for all she means to me.
- Send a thank you card to my daughter for all she means to me.
- Watch shows that portray women and girls in a positive light. (This means turning off most reality television.)
- Put away all pop-culture magazines that make fun of or judge women (including celebrities, they are after all girls and women too!) based on their appearance, and find something else to read that shows how strong women and girls really are.
- Write a letter to a woman in politics and thank her for her service. (For full effect, write someone who runs for office on the party ticket…you are NOT a member of.)
- Volunteer somewhere.
- Go for a run.
- Post an Operation Beautiful Sticky note. (www.operationbeautiful.com)
- Take an hour to just be alone and be quiet.
- Sweat.
- Practice yoga.
- Do some kind of sport you have never done, but always wanted to.
- Lift some weights.
- Wear a costume for no reason.
- Admit, at last, that I’ve been wanting to run for political office and do something about it.
- Cook a great meal and eat it with your family on the floor of your living room, picnic style.
- Have a sleepover.
- Research girls’ empowerment programs and reach out to set up time to volunteer. (Girls on the Run, Girl Scouts, Girls, Inc, to name a few.)
- Write a letter to my younger self and post it on my refrigerator.
- Skip somewhere.
- Do something outside my comfort zone.
- Smile really big at everyone I pass today.
- Dance and sing really loudly in the car. (Windows down for full effect.)
- Make a card for someone and deliver it personally.
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