Why Are So Many of Us Women Afraid of our Own Shadows?

Sunday was Groundhog Day - and the powers that be say that if the groundhog sees his shadow we have six more weeks of winter. Why is the groundhog afraid of his own shadow? Better yet, why are so many of us women afraid of own shadows?

A shadow is simply a silhouette of our being. Silhouette - such a beautiful word. I remember as a child that as part of a class project the teacher would call us up one by one and outline our sihouettes for us. We would then cut them out, paste them on another sheet of paper and give them as presents to our mothers for Mother's Day. Our shadows were presents - gifts.

Our shadows are still gifts. They show us the curves that define our bodies, the wisps of hair that frame our faces, the length of our legs that carry us everyday. Our shadows only define our physical beings, they don't define who we are as individuals. We are responsible for the type of people that we want to be in this lifetime. When I look at my shadow I need to reflect upon the type of wife, mother, daughter, friend, and member of my community that I want to be, not the fact that I look stubby because I am five foot three and all of the flyaways are pronounced on the cement below me. Whenever I think of these things when I see my shadow - I smile, this is what I am most proud of and the rest melts away even for only a moment.

Next time you see your shadow, don't be afraid. Stop and take a moment to look at your body and become your shadow's friend. Don't run from who you are - create who you want to be.

True Self, True Beauty

I love the days that The Beautiful Women Project women go on a field trip. It is an opportunity for me to meet women, hear their stories, and reaffirm what I believed in my heart when I created this project: we are not alone in our journey. So, that leads me to the question: if we are not alone on our journeys why does it feel so lonely at times?

Sharing our thoughts and experiences is sometimes difficult to do with family and friends. We are so afraid of being judged for being who we really are that we choose to isolate ourselves rather than of share what may be the best part of ourselves. It is easier to share ourselves with strangers - whether it be at an exhibition or through the internet, because strangers don't have any expectations for who we are suppose to be - they just accept us for who we present to them in that moment. Usually, that is our truest selves. And that is when we are most beautiful.

It is really scary to show a side of yourself that you don't think others will accept, I know I have been there myself. I bet what you will find is one of two things: (1) people already had a sense about who you really were and have been waiting for your revelation and/or (2) they respect you for being true to yourself.

It is here that I come back to my premise: beauty shines from within and when you are true to yourself your light shines brighter and brighter. It is the sum of your life experiences that makes you beautiful and the more that you share those experiences, share your true self, you will find that you are not alone on your journey. There are so many other women who are experiencing and feeling the same things you are in your life. The community of women is wonderful, welcoming, and supportive. Join us in sharing your true selves, your true beauty.

Beauty is a Beast...We Can Tame

Everyday I receive alerts about hundreds of articles and blogs written around the world that focus on women, beauty, and body image. When I began the Beautiful Women Project I had no idea that there were thousands upon thousands of women going through the same thing-trying to find peace, love and happiness in their own skin.

It is easy to place blame on the media, advertisers, Hollywood, even Miss America. Yet, in doing so, we become victims of circumstances that we do not control. I won't speak for women everywhere, but I know that I don't want to be considered a victim anymore. I want to look in the mirror and smile back at myself because I love the person whose reflection I see in the mirror- not to check for lipstick on my teeth. And there are days that this does happen - they are the best days of my life. I am working on making everyday I day I love what I see.

I am learning that it comes down to this...it doesn't matter what the media, advertisers, Hollywood, or the people at the Miss America Pageant think about beauty. All that matters is what we as women think about ourselves. When you have a moment of quiet and think about the person that you are, what makes you smile? For me, it is knowing that I live an honest life. This is very important to me when, especially in a society today that makes it so easy to lie. I tell people my age, height and weight - I am not ashamed. I have grey hair that I color - HA! I don't wash my hair everyday - and not because they say that it is better for your hair. These are the parts of me that make me beautiful and I refuse to be ashamed of my body. There will always be things about physicality that we will want to change throughout our lifetime. So Change Them, but don't lose sight of the fact that beauty comes from within - five pounds heavier or lighter, greys or no greys, age spots or wrinkles - they are a part of who we are as women, not who we are as women.