#SpeakBeautiful: The Promise I’m Making to Myself

How To Help Combat Online Negativity and #SpeakBeautiful

After a summer of wearing flowy dresses and cute skirts with elastic waistbands, the cool weather arrived and I had to squeeze myself into a pair of jeans.

Those mornings struggling to find something to wear that fits can be crushing.

Related: The Weight I’ve Gained

When I saw Rosie Molinary’s book, Beautiful You: A Radical Guide to Daily Self Acceptance, in my Instagram feed I ordered it immediately.

Then the other morning I stepped on scale at the doctor’s office and the number shocked me. The last time I saw that number, I was just about to give birth to Norrin. It wasn’t a good feeling. Then I remembered Rosie’s book. I picked it up, read the first few pages and wrote my first entry. Writing it down, felt good.

These women inspire me to speak beautiful to myself and to other women.

Here’s the thing. I’m a 40+ year old woman and I still struggle with body image and my physical appearance. When I was growing up there was no Internet or social media to measure myself against.

I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be a young girl today.

It’s no secret that young girls and teens are dealing with online hate, bullying and negative comments about their appearance on social media but now they have the resources to combat it.

Dove research shows 72% of girls encounter negative beauty content online every week!

Dove recently unveiled its NEW #SpeakBeautiful Squad to help girls combat online negativity and cyberbullying.

Members of the #SpeakBeautiful Squad include:

• Ariel Winter: Actress
• Franchesca Ramsey: Comedian, Video Blogger and Host of MTV’s Decoded
• Jeannette Kaplun: TV Personality, Parenting and Lifestyle Expert
• Vanessa Van Edwards: Published Author and Behavioral Expert

I first heard about the #SpeakBeautiful movement earlier this year while at the We All Grow conference. Rosie Molinary spoke on the panel and I was just so inspired by her. I met her the week before at another event and we just clicked. While she’s not part of the squad – I will always associate her with the #SpeakBeautiful movement. (I have so much more to say about her book, but that’s for another post.)

As for Jeannette…I’ve known her for some time and I’m proud to call her a friend. I’m not going to lie, it’s easy to be intimidated by her. She’s beautiful, smart and poised. But she’s also one of the nicest women I’ve ever met. What I especially admire is that she uses her social media platform to lift others up. It’s no surprise she’s part of the Dove #SpeakBeautiful squad.

I don’t have any daughters but I have young women in my life and I want them to know their worth. I want them to know that what they share via social media matters and to be responsible with their words – not only about others but about themselves.

The #SpeakBeautiful New Online Self-Esteem Building Activities

1. Re-Do Challenge – Everyone makes mistakes. It’s what you do afterwards that counts. Challenge a girl in your life to a re-do! Encourage her to post two positive Tweets with #SpeakBeautiful for every negative Tweet in the past.
2. TBH Digital Glossary – Walk through a list of terms often found online and their definitions with a girl in your life and explain how they affect self-esteem.
3. Signs of Cyberbullying – Learn to spot the signs of cyberbullying and ways you can help a girl in your life who has been bullied.
4. Bystander to Hero – Challenge girls to stand up against cyberbullying rather than being a bystander with guidance from this activity.
5. Digital Dates – Schedule a recurring “date” between mom and daughter so that mom can see her daughter’s life on social media while still respecting her privacy.
6. Real Selfie Challenge – If you love the way you look in that moment share it! Join our Real Selfie Challenge & show girls that photos don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.
7. Technology Contract – Sit down with your daughter and work together to create a written contract of how both can be respectful of privacy while abiding by specific rules.
8. Your Core Group – Help a girl in your life identify a core group of friends whose opinion she values. When confronted with cyberbullying, the daughter can turn to this list as a firm foundation of whose voices really matter.

I want to set the example. I’m ready to do the work. I am making a promise to myself to #speakbeautiful.

This is not a sponsored post. I purchased Beautiful You. And I was provided with the information regarding the #SpeakBeautiful movement and wanted to share.