Make Peace Monday

Hi everyone,

This post is pretty lengthy but I just want to introduce something new to you.

Make Peace Monday is something I am really excited about sharing with you guys.  Part of the idea behind the title "Stay Beautiful" is that even with all the fancy makeup, products, and gorgeous clothes we, as women, spend time and money on every day, they really mean nothing if we don't have self confidence to back up our outward appearance. The makeup and fashion is just to enhance the already wonderful aspects of you. I think part of gaining confidence in ourselves comes from recognizing what makes you beautiful (Yeah, did One Direction just pop into anyone else's head?)  I was inspired to do this type of weekly post by Marie Claire Magazine's section: What I Love About Me. In this section women from all over the world share their quirks and why they love them.  So often we look at celebrities, models, and maybe even a best friend and think 'Why can't I look like her?' But maybe the thought that should follow that one is, 'Would the features of that celebrity, model, or friend be half as beautiful and sought after if they were common?'  Probably not.  That's what beauty is to me, things that set you apart from the crowd and make you who you are.  So, the mission of Make Peace Monday is to get women to recognize and change the critical voice in their heads to a kind and accepting one because realizing your own beauty is one of the toughest things to do.  One thing we all have in common is insecurities but hopefully by starting each week with  Make Peace Monday, we can focus on replacing the insecurities with confidence and becoming healthy both in our bodies and in our minds.

So after all that introduction here is my first Make Peace post:


I went to a hair salon a few weeks ago for a trim.  I hadn't wanted to change my hair but the hairstylist made the comment that I had a high hairline-aka a big forehead so I might want to consider bangs (or fringe for my UK followers).  He hit a weakness there.  When I was little, kids at school used to make fun of my forehead and I started to really dislike the way my face looked in pictures because of it. (I even crop my pictures to show less of my forehead...take a look you'll see).   Now you may be thinking that's a strange thing to be self-conscious of but seriously once you hear it enough you start to believe it.  So I did what anyone does, and joined in on the deprecating comments, laughing about it and pretending like it didn't bother me.  So with that history you can guess what  I said when I was told, "You're hairline is extremely high, maybe you need to not do the style you want but rather one that better suits your face." I said sure and bam, a layer of bangs covered my "Frankenstein" forehead as its been called.  Now, I will say it was cute and I got a lot of compliments but I just felt so hidden.  I think it is because I knew that the bangs were just there to hide something I was self-conscious about rather than an addition I had wanted for myself.  Last night as I was washing my face, I pulled my bangs back in a headband and realized how much better my favorite part of my face, my eyes, could be seen without them and I was hit with the thought that I missed good ole Frankenstein and the way my high forehead helped enhance my face's oval shape.  With my hair pulled out of my face I realized I looked like me and I looked more confident.  They say you don't realize what you've got till its gone and I realized that the shape of my face and that "high hairline" is actually not a bad thing.  I mean Tyra Banks is pretty famous for her forehead.  So this week, I've decided to make peace with that insecurity and as for the bangs, they are growing out.

If you want to join in on the Make Peace Monday try this:
Look in the mirror.  If a negative thought pops into your head, recognize it and close your eyes.  Open your eyes and try to make your first thought a positive one about yourself--sounds silly but I did it this morning and have felt confident all day.  If insecurities are a problem for you, just give this a try :) The best part, no one will ever know you've done it- they will just see your confidence and think 'That girl has it figured out.'

Until next week,
M

What I Love About Me- Marie Claire Magazine

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