TTB & V-Day team up!

Peanut butter and jelly. Macaroni and cheese. Mickey and Minnie. Some things are just meant to be together. Which is why I am so excited to announce the collaboration of Team True Beauty and V-Day! I’ve worked with Team True Beauty from the start and strongly believe in everything they stand for. This organization works to empower women from within. It encourages people to use their voices and believe in the power of their worth and purpose. Team True Beauty firmly believes that every woman has a story, and behind each story is the power and potential to make a great impact. Unfortunately and all too often, women are believing that they are worth nothing more than a number- a number on a scale, on a test, on a pair of jeans. However, Team True Beauty works to empower women and help them to remember that heart, passion, dreams and desires…that’s what matters, and that is what can help to change the world.

Now a little bit about V-Day. V-Day is a movement to end violence against women and girls all over the world. It promotes creative events to help increase awareness, as well as raise money, and encourage the general movement. The physical consequences of violence against women are terrible and extremely dangerous. However, the psychological consequences are just as bad. V-Day is working to help stop the cycle of violence and provide support through empowerment.

I am so excited for this collaboration and cannot wait to see what the future holds. Gloria Arroyo said: “The power of one, if fearless and focused, is formidable. But the power of many working together is better.”
 

Dear Beauty, 1 year later

 

One year ago tonight, I had the privilege of being in LA for the Team True Beauty 1 year anniversary event. It was an amazing night, and if you'd like to read the details of it, you can check out my post from that night here.
But one of the most memorable moments from the night came from Shantel VanSanten, one of the lovely ambassadors for the cause. She gave a speech that continues to move me every single time I hear it or read it. You can read and view her entire speech here.

Her letter to beauty states:
"Dear beauty, I don’t think we’ve formally met. I’m Shantel Van Santen. I’ve searched to find you for a while now. To find out how you define yourself. There are many others searching for you too. Some of us think you’re found in a number on a scale, or a muscle in our arm, the color of our skin, or our reflection in the mirror. We all struggle because we think you seek a perfect image, and we’ve become obsessed with the search. The idea that others might see us as a reflection of you or call us by your names makes us happy. So we look to the media and we look to mirrors, instead of turning our eyes inward. In the depths of our soul you wait. You wait for our search to end, because that’s where you are found. So we were wrong. Because you’re not an image of something that we can see. You’re a feeling. We define you by how we live our life, the kind of person we choose to be, and what’s in our hearts. Thank you for helping us find you. So that your reflection can be felt in others hearts, that they may know that they possess you too. And we can all unite to define you."

So in honor of the 2 year anniversary of Team True Beauty, and the 1 year anniversary of the event, I decided to write my own letter to beauty, 1 year later:
"Dear beauty, we’ve finally met. I suppose we met a long time ago, but I was never quite satisfied with our relationship. However I've also realized that while I don’t always see you in the mirror, I’ve seen you in the smiles of strangers, in the laughter of children, in the way people love and care for each other, and in the world all around me. I have come to realize that you really are more than a number. You aren’t a clothing size, a waist measurement, a height, or number on a scale. And while I now know this to be true, I can’t pretend that I don’t still struggle. Some days it seems impossible to find you in myself. And those are the days that I depend on my friends and support system the most. Those are the days that I am truly blessed, because I find beauty in relationships. I’ve realized that when you stop defining beauty based on numbers and you begin to define it based on what’s in the world around you and what’s in your heart, you, beauty, are much more prevalent. You are everywhere. Beauty, I am very much different than a year ago. I am older, and at times wiser, I have old friends who have stayed in my life and new friends who provide constant support and encouragement. And yet I am also very much the same. I find myself falling into my old ways of thinking. I find myself still trying to find you in a reflection in the mirror. I find myself weeping and falling apart when I think I’ll never find you in myself. And yet I find hope in the statement that “what you do with your life, how you live it, the things you accomplish, the mountains you climb, the struggles you work through, how you treat one another, the kindness you show, the people you inspire, the love that you give, that’s what defines your heart. And that’s what matters. Not what you look like when you do these things in life.”

Dear Beauty...by Shantel Van Santen

Here is a full transcript of the wonderful Shantel Van Santen's speech at the Team True Beauty 1-year Anniversary event. Enjoy & be inspired!

“Each of you inspires me and each of your strength astounds me. Each of you are a powerful part of a bigger picture. A life that is evolving each day. You are an integral part of this movement for a reason. I read somewhere: ‘Each word or thought of yours can be like a pearl. That you can drop into a secret place of another heart, and in some hour of need, the recipient finds the treasure and realizes for the first time, its value.’ See, change happens with each and every one of you; with your stories and with your voice. We all possess these pearls and you helped this movement grow and reach thousands of people by being brave. I constantly encourage each of you to share your story because you have been given a gift- the gift of a voice. So honor it. And use it for a positive change. Use it so that others might be inspired by your strength and know that they’re not alone. We all struggle. We’re all human. We all feel things and it doesn’t matter if we’re male or female, what age we are, what religion, our sexuality, our job, our walk of life, it’s really universal. We need to throw aside physical judgment of ourselves and others. We need to accept differences and we need to see beauty in those differences. We need to appreciate one another and we need to restore a sense of balance for our generation, and for generations to come. I believe it’s a part of our responsibility to be the change. We’re each unique and amazing and we are made for a higher purpose. We are all beautiful beyond all measure, we are all capable of everything that we can dream, and we are all loved beyond all comprehension. One of my favorite quotes ever is: ‘We are better than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will never settle for less.’ So, embrace yourself- what you are in your heart, so that you might uplift others. Because what you do with your life, how you live it, the things you accomplish, the mountains you climb, the struggles you work through, how you treat one another, the kindness you show, the people you inspire, the love that you give, that’s what defines your heart. And that’s what matters. Not what you look like when you do these things in life. In closing, I want to share a letter with each and every one of you. It’s a letter to something that we aspire to define, each and every one of us. And my hope is that we all have a clearer understanding of what it means so that we can be a reflection of this to others. My letter is to beauty.

Dear beauty, I don’t think we’ve formally met. I’m Shantel Van Santen. I’ve searched to find you for a while now. To find out how you define yourself. There are many others searching for you too. Some of us think you’re found in a number on a scale, or a muscle in our arm, the color of our skin, or our reflection in the mirror. We all struggle because we think you seek a perfect image, and we’ve become obsessed with the search. The idea that others might see us as a reflection of you or call us by your names makes us happy. So we look to the media and we look to mirrors, instead of turning our eyes inward. In the depths of our soul you wait. You wait for our search to end, because that’s where you are found. So we were wrong. Because you’re not an image of something that we can see. You’re a feeling. We define you by how we live our life, the kind of person we choose to be, and what’s in our hearts. Thank you for helping us find you. So that your reflection can be felt in others hearts, that they may know that they possess you too. And we can all unite to define you.

I want to thank each and every one of you for believing in me and I want to encourage each and every one of you to inspire other people with your stories. And I feel very blessed to be a part of this cause.” -Shantel Van Santen

What's Going On?

What has society done to us? I’ve always heard stories about how powerful the media can be in influencing how girls feel about themselves. However, I always figured I was educated enough and smart enough to rise above the media influences. But lately I have realized that I too have succumbed to the influences and pressures of society. For example, today I was watching Dance Moms (judge me all you want, as a former dancer, it’s intriguing) and I found myself actually envying the girls bodies. Yes, they are strong and full of muscle, but that wasn't what I was envying. I was envying their size. The size of their arms, the size of their thighs, the width of their hips. How ridiculous is that? These girls are 8, 9, and 10 years old. They are young girls who haven’t fully developed, and I’m jealous of their young, thin, predeveloped bodies. I actually found myself getting upset about my own body. And it’s not just them I'm envious of. And it’s not just me who is envious. With waif thin, modelesque women all over the TV, internet, and magazines, it can be hard to even find a woman who has the shape of an actual woman! We are told by society, by the media, and by ourselves that this is normal. And that having hips and thighs that jiggle is not. Here’s an example:

One of these girls is 11 years old. One of them is 30. By looking at their tiny, childlike legs, you would never know who was who. For the record, the one on the left if 30 year old Nicole Richie, while the one on the right is 11 year old Paige Hyland. However, we live in a society that tells us that this shape is ideal, no matter what age, no matter what the cost. And with my everyday media consumption, I have become complacent. I’ve become used to this idea and even accepted this idea as my own reality. So my message to you, and especially to myself, is this: Be actively aware of what you are taking in. Be mindful of the media images. Separate reality from the rest and realize that no one can tell you who to be or what to look like except for yourself. Stop comparing yourself to people younger than you, or taller than you, or thinner than you. And start loving yourself.

And if you need a little help, you can check out @TeamTrueBeauty on Twitter, or some of their wonderfully inspiring celebrity interviews on body image and self-esteem. Check out these interviews by Daphne Zuniga, Allison Munn, Amanda Schull, Eliza Dushku, Shantel Van Santen, Sara Paxton, Lisa Goldstein, Beverley Mitchell, India de Beaufort, and Jodie Sweetin.

The Team True Beauty event!

My main reason for going to LA this past week (other than for an awesome vacation) was to attend the Team True Beauty 1 year Anniversary event. The event took place at the beautiful Avalon Bardot in Hollywood and included a red carpet, a meet and greet, dinner, and some fantastic concerts. I can’t even begin to describe how fun and inspiring the event was. There were so many people there and it was great to see some old friends and meet some new ones. It was also really cool to see so many people of different shapes, sizes, races, ages, abilities, and genders all coming together to support an amazing cause. Throughout the night I got a chance to talk to some amazing celebrities, including Josie Loren, Cassie Scerbo, India DeBeaufort, Alisa Reyes, Jodie Sweetin, Sara Paxton, Sharon Lawrence, Amber Sweeney, and the lovely Team True Beauty ambassadors Shantel VanSanten and Daphne Zuniga. I also got to hear performances by Everly, Annie Automatic, Andrea Merchant, Savannah Outen, and Jessie Payo. And while all of these things were great and added so much fun to the night, I have to share with you 2 of my favorite moments from the event.

The first came when I got a chance to sit down and speak with Shantel. We met back in Wilmington about a year ago, but I never really got a chance to talk with her until this past summer. Over the summer I got to know Shantel a little better and talk to her personally about her story and the messages that she shares with Team True Beauty. However, I know she meets and talks to a million different people, so I was happily surprised when I got to the event and she knew who I was. Once some of the chaos of the meet and greet calmed down, I got a chance to sit down with Shantel and talk to her a little bit more. As usual, she was so sweet in sharing a little more of her story with me. We talked about how important it is to be confident in yourself so that others can see you as an example to be confident in themselves too. We talked about how it’s okay to have struggles and to ask for help because we all struggle and it’s those challenges that bring us together and make us who we are. We finished off the chat with a great big hug and a few tears and moved along with the night. Having those few minutes to talk one on one with Shantel was really special to me, and I am so thankful to have her to talk to.

The next best moment of the night came when it was time for the ambassadors to give their speeches. Shantel and Daphne both had some amazing things to say! My words can't really do it justice, so I'll let the video speak for itself!

There are so many parts of this speech that really stood out to me, I will be blogging about the entire speech in a different post. But for now, enjoy the video and the pictures!

Me and TTB Ambassador Daphne Zuniga

Me and the always sweet Shantel VanSanten

Me and the gorgeous Josie Loren

Me and my travel buddy/roommate, Lindsey

PS- I am so thankful for Megan, Lindsey, Brandi, Julianna, Lolly, Richard, Dana, Amy, Kristen, Michelle, Nicole, Brittany, Morgan, Megan, and Meriam. You all made the night so fun and I’m so glad to know you!

Follow Friday: Team True Beauty

Okay fellow East Coasters, I know it’s technically Saturday, but I haven’t gotten around to my Follow Friday until now! So for my West Coasters, Happy Follow Friday. And for my East Coasters, Happy Follow Saturday!

There are so many amazing organizations that I feel really passionate about, so it’s really never hard to pick one for my Follow Friday. But this weeks is special. This weeks Follow Friday goes to Team True Beauty. So here’s a little background and a little bit about Team True Beauty.
Back at the beginning of 2011, there was a man on Twitter who was promoting so called ‘managed anorexia’ and basically telling people that thin was the only way to be. I saw this and was personally shocked and saddened by this. I immediately knew something had to be done. Luckily so did some other young ladies. Five AMAZING ladies, Megan, Kristen, Brittany, Morgan, and Meriam, all started a campaign on Twitter called Team True Beauty. The girls created the campaign to spread the word that beauty is more than just what is on the outside, and that true beauty comes from the heart! The girls are also trying to raise awareness about the dangers of eating disorders.
Almost exactly 7 months later, Team True Beauty has close to 6,000 Twitter followers, over 400 ‘likes’ on Facebook and have done an absolutely tremendous job of spreading awareness and providing support. The cause is so amazing and so uplifting it has caught the attention of celebrities such as Jena Sims, Amanda Schull, Dallas Lovato, Eliza Dushku, Josie Loren, Sarah Paxton, and many many more. Two huge celebrity supporters of this movement have been Daphne Zuniga and Shantel VanSanten. These 2 ladies have been kind enough to share their own personal stories and experiences, and they are SO powerful.

You can read more of these ladies stories, plus find out more information by:
-visiting the official Team True Beauty website
-following them on Twitter, @TeamTrueBeauty
-‘liking’ them on Facebook.
-Joining them on Crowdrise (if you haven’t heard of Crowdrise, you should really check it out)
-checking out Ms. Daphne Zuniga's personal website
-JOINING in the conversation!

These girls are amazing and friendly and the message that they are trying to send is so so so important. Eating disorders and over all poor body image are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. What are we teaching the younger generation? We have the power to make a difference. These 5 girls certainly did. Now how can you help make the change?
　

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