Stepping onto the scale at the Plex can be an emotional moment. That sounds dramatic, but when 2 out of 5 women would trade five years of their lives to be thin and 50% of young women would rather be hit by a truck than be fat, it’s easy to think that the scale defines self-worth.
Sometimes the simplest reminders can make all the difference, and a post-it note saying “This measures your weight, not your beauty or importance” on the base of the scale can help someone think more positively. At least that’s what Caitlin Boyle thought when she started the Operation Beautiful movement.
She started her website, www.operationbeautiful.com, in June of 2009 and used it to post pictures of the inspirational notes she and others left in public places. Site readers send in pictures of notes they post or find, and since the website’s founding, they have received over 10,000 notes with phrases promoting positive body image or outlook. The first Operation Beautiful book was published in August 2010 and it includes images of the notes as well as stories and tips about leading a happier, healthier life. Boyle is currently working on a follow-up book for teens to be released next December.
Though a note from a stranger may seem impersonal or insignificant, Boyle was confident that these messages could make real change. “I think it makes people smile when they realize how much goodness there is in the world. The idea that someone would do this for a stranger is so uplifting”, she says.
She wanted to promote goodness specifically in regard to how women view themselves and their bodies, after seeing what she perceived to be a body image crisis. Boyle says that, “there is a lot of negative messaging in our society, and the issues start young – did you know the average girl goes on her first diet when she’s 8 years old? The biggest mistake we make is beating ourselves up for not looking like models or celebrities. It’s time we stop emulating or striving for a type of perfection that doesn’t even exist in the real world. It’s OK to look human!”
When asked specifically about Boston College and other college campuses, Boyle noted that body image seems to be a particularly relevant problem with this demographic. When she was in school, she noted that, “I definitely saw body image as a huge problem. Self-esteem in general was a big issue among my peers. I personally struggled with not feeling smart enough or accomplished enough throughout my early twenties. I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves as women to be ‘perfect’… but the truth is that we’re all already perfect versions of ourselves.”
The notes posted as part of Operation Beautiful are all about promoting real beauty and getting women to focus on their positive attributes. Posts featured on the website include “you are beautiful” on a box of SlimFast shakes in a grocery store, “what you see here is your choice” on a public restroom mirror, and “you are strong and can do anything you set your mind to” on a rack of weighs in a gym. Boyle defines beautiful as “making the effort to help one another in a positive way”, and through these notes of encouragement, participants in the movement are showing their true beauty, and reminding strangers of theirs as well.
Photo Sources:
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