The Internet world has made it hard to feel beautiful as a woman.

I scan through a Tumblr dash or Pinterest board and every other post is an outfit or a hairstyle or a face someone else would rather have.  And when put all together, those photos form unattainable and unreal expectations that leave real women feeling more empty than moments before.  Because as real women, our fingers with chipped nail polish and wrinkles click over images we’re seeing with imperfect vision, on heads with messy hair and faces that aren’t quite blemish-free.  We look down at our clothes that are tag-free and washed, and covet the new, more expensive versions on the screens in front of us.  The “what-if’s” and “maybe-only’s” flood our minds until we’re wondering where and how quickly we can get our next temporary fix of outward “beauty.”

Darling, your beauty is deeper than skinny jeans and red lipstick and the perfect topknot.

It’s in the way you hum a song, or say “you’re important.”  It’s in the moments your kindness goes unnoticed and your graciousness changes perspectives.  It’s in the gentle touch of hands that have held far more hearts than makeup brushes, and it’s more than the imperfections you see in the mirror.

So reserve your self-portraits on the Internet for moments when you truly feel whole and beautiful, instead of posting that incredible face you were given out of desperation for affirmation.  And wait to indulge in looking at fashionable and hip photos of others online until you know with all of your being that they’re just that– photos.  Photos that don’t get a say in how you feel about yourself.

We’re re-claiming beauty in real-life, individuality, and spreading the courage in our communities for others to do the same.  Now it’s your turn.  Be brave today.

With Courage & Love,

Our Founder