Kahlil Gibran beauty quoteDear Girls,

I’m writing to you as a 36-year old woman who has battled with demons of insecurity for most of my young life.

As a young girl, I have told myself, I’m not smart enough. I’m not beautiful enough. I’m not tall enough. I’m not sweet and gentle, and soft-spoken enough.

You would have told yourself some similar things too.

You would have compared yourself to the images you see on television, in magazines, on the Internet.

The images of ‘beauty’ as projected by the media.

The tall, leggy, flawless-complexioned goddesses with perfect hair, teeth, breasts and lives.

And you would have gone to the mirror and not seen the perfect skin, hair, teeth, breasts and body.

And you would pluck, powder, bleach, dye, starve yourself to look like those impossibly perfect women.

And you would still be unhappy with how you look.

It could be because some boy laughed at your slightly buck teeth.

It could be because a friend commented on that one pimple on your nose.

It could be because someone said your hair color is ‘kinda mousy’.

And you would sink into that hole of “I am not beautiful.”

Girls, you need to know something.

Beauty cannot be crafted from makeup, hair gel, waxing, tanning and dieting.

Beauty is crafted from kindness, empathy, love and light.

Be kind to yourself and others.

Be gentle.

Be thoughtful.

Be loving.

Be open.

Be accepting.

And you will be beautiful.

Love,

From someone who knows now that she is beautiful.

How do you define beauty?

This post was originally published on Writing, Wishing by Alison Lee. 

Alison

Alison is a former PR professional turned stay-at-home mother to two boys. Growing up in a small city of Ipoh, Malaysia, Alison left home at 17 to pursue her studies in the big city of Kuala Lumpur. At 19, she headed to University of Leeds in England and graduated with a degree in Communications. Returning home to Malaysia in 1999, she began a 10-year career in public relations, event planning, and marketing, working for various PR agencies and one of the world's biggest sports brands. After a decade of launch parties and product launches, concerts and award shows, international press junkets and world travel, Alison traded all that in for a life as a first time mother in 2009, and has not looked back since. Aside from writing for her blog, Writing, Wishing, Alison is the Founder and chief social media strategist for Little Love Media.

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