I’ve been in the beauty industry for over 20 years. I have been mentored and influenced by some of the most brilliant and inspirational people around. However, I have been equally inspired by those I have not seen eye to eye with, and in fact, to them I am eternally grateful! They helped form me into who I am today; more confident, determined, and passionate than ever! Sometime back, a female colleague of mine, expressed how disturbed she seemed to be with the “before and after” picture above and its story that I was sharing with audiences about empowering your life. She insisted “that kind” of transformation had nothing to do with beauty as it simply wasn’t aspirational enough for women. I guess it was too real, too raw and not in line with the picture perfect airbrushed personas in beauty advertisements.
Beauty Defined
Being the feisty Latina woman that I am, I dismissed her advice and went with my heart. Well, it turns out that both my story and picture resonated with more people than I had thought possible. Why? Because of the weight loss? Well, maybe that helped get people’s attention. However, it was the transformational story of the girl in the picture that let me into the hearts of others. I recall one comment expressing their love for the picture noting the power behind the eyes shut in the before and eyes wide open in the second!
Now, I am more determined than ever to help others see the beauty that is already inside them. Everywhere we look, others are trying to define us by what they believe is beautiful. And while I love being a girly girl, I am equally as pleased with ponytail hair, a fresh face, and yoga pants. Beauty goes beyond a look. “Feeling beautiful” is just that, it IS A FEELING. Don’t wait for others to define beauty for you; it is for you to discover and unleash! Your beauty is for you to admire and share with the world! So how do I define beauty? It is Beauty Empowered by you!
Cheers,
