“My hairline is so weird…my pores are huge…my nail beds suck.” Why do we, as women, always feel the need to connect over the negative? While most of us don’t analyze micro details on our bodies such as pores and nail beds, we often denounce our differences as imperfections because of a fixed idea of beauty that society has set for us. This makes no sense. Why not take these qualities and instead, celebrate them for defining us as the beautiful and diverse people we are?
That’s where we come in. Uniquely Beautiful is a project initiative that aims to promote positive self and body image through the celebration of diverse inner and outer characteristics. Inspired by a monthly article in Marie Claire Magazine called “What I Love About Me…” we will encourage students to embrace the qualities that make them indispensible, amazing, and absolutely gorgeous…even if these qualities are not considered traditionally beautiful by society. In viewing these “imperfections” as defining qualities, we are better able to celebrate the true beauty, openness, and acceptance found in diversity. After all, how boring would it be if we were all Barbies and Kens?
Over the next few weeks, we will ask students to contemplate what makes them beautiful, what defines them, and what they’ve come to love about themselves. This can range anywhere from a specific heritage, to a challenging condition one has learned to live with, or even something as simple as freckles.
In addition to this blog, we will hold a sticker campaign to allow students to publicly display their pride in these unique qualities, gaining recognition for the incredible diversity this campus has to offer.
Creating a campus that finds camaraderie in uniqueness? I cannot think of a better place to start.