Ladies of the University of Pittsburgh, I am asking you to take the #NoFilter pledge with me. By taking this pledge, you will be agreeing to not place a filter on your Instagram pictures for the next month.
We as a society have begun to use filters as a crutch to make us feel beautiful in pictures. We have lost the ability to feel comfortable in our own skin and rely on technology to make us feel pretty. However, the funny thing is that natural, non-enhanced beauty is becoming so rare, that it is becoming more appealing to the eye than “filtered” or touched up beauty. So take the pledge, and show the rest of the world that your confidence in your natural beauty is something more beautiful than an app could ever make.
I know this transition can be uncomfortable for some, because we have become so used to it as a culture. Are you one of those caught in the re-touching trap? Follow these simple rules to remind yourself that you are naturally beautiful every day.
1. Wake up and tell yourself you’re beautiful.
Pick out something different every day that is beautiful about you. It doesn’t matter if you forgot to wipe your makeup off the night before and now it’s smeared all over your face. If you can find something beautiful in that mess of hair all over the place and drool running down your chin, you’ll be able to remind yourself that you are beautiful throughout all points of the day.
2. Instead of finding the bad in others, find the good!
Everybody is beautiful in one-way or another. Plus, what good is picking out someone else’s flaws going to do for you?
3. Take care of yourself.
Everyone always says that to feel good about yourself, you have to be good to yourself. Getting the right amount of sleep, eating right, and exercising are only the beginning. So say no to that extra drink, get that extra hour of sleep, and hit the gym!
4. Don’t declare your self worth based on “likes.”
Who cares if Kelly got 109 likes on her picture and you only got 24? So many factors go into “likes” – it’s insane. The time of day the picture is posted, who is also tagged in the picture, & when the last time you posted a picture all contribute. Also: DON’T EVER DELETE A PICTURE BECAUSE IT HAD FEW LIKES! Embrace yourself!
5. Be bold.
If you want to rock a dress to class today, do it. If you want to rock bright red lipstick, do it. If you just want to wear sweats and an old t-shirt, do it…and rock it. You should never not do something because you fear others’ reactions.
So ladies, here is my first picture marking my #NoFilter pledge. A picture that represents fun, and the natural beauty of just giggling with your best friends, something that I know I would never want to filter.
Image credit: 1, author’s own.