In my experience, beauty isn't about how the world sees me but about how I see the world. If I seek out the positive aspects of life, the people who matter tend to see my positive attributes.
I have a twelve-year-old niece, one of the most kind-hearted and thoughtful kids I have ever met. She has been cruelly teased at school about her weight and her family. What kids hear from their peers can be damaging, especially at that age.
I hope to show my niece that she is a thing of beauty in the world: her beauty is the kind that touches the whole person, not just the eyes. I want her to see through the stories of these women that there are many different ways of being complete. I can see my niece’s positive attributes, and I want to help her see, and feel comfortable sharing, those pieces of herself with the world. With that empowerment, I come full circle: I am using her positive attributes to make the world more positive; this makes me more positive, and on it goes (laughs). Who knows, maybe I do have the power to make things better for her after all….
