New Year, New You: Getting Beautiful From Within
We’ve all heard the saying that beauty is only skin deep. As cliché as it sounds, there’s certainly some truth to it. It’s a new year, so why not bring a new, more positive attitude? Our attitudes are projected to the world through our body language, facial expressions and the energy we exude. Soon enough we start to look exactly how we think and feel. Here are ten affirmations to say in front of the mirror, so that your inner fabness can radiate on the outside!
1. Damn, I look good. If you know it and you own it then no one else can tell you otherwise. Why is it that one woman can rock a completely off-the-wall haircut or outfit? Confidence. If she believes, then nine time out of ten, so will the rest of us.
2. I am a beautiful being, in my own unique way. Standards of beauty are always shifting. What remains constant is the natural beauty you were born with. Play up your features. Accentuate what you love about yourself and embrace what you don’t. You are uniquely you and that’s a beautiful thing.
3. My skin is radiant. Whatever shade of brown you come in, you glow . . . and that’s pretty freaking special.
4. I feel as great as I look. It’s amazing how something like a bad-hair day, or not loving what you pulled out of your closet, can completely transform your mood. Reverse that process and let how incredible you feel on the inside dictate your outlook on your appearance.
5. My body is banging just the way it is. Sure many of us have weight and fitness goals. But it’s imperative that you love the present you. Work what you got now, not just what you’ll have when you’re ten pounds lighter or with washboard abs. There are ways for every woman to play up her shape.
6. I am beautiful in mind, body and spirit. When these three are aligned, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Feeling gorgeous on the outside is fantastic, but don’t neglect your mind and spirit.
7. When I smile, the world smiles back. Try it. You’ll see. Everything is that much brighter when you smile. It looks great on you too.
8. I’ve got “good” hair because it’s healthy hair. Instead of harping on your curl pattern or why your strands aren’t falling the way they were yesterday, celebrate the fact that you have a healthy head of hair. And if you don’t (yet!), take the steps to get there.
9. My sense of style is just that . . . mine. Style is subjective. It’s fun to try out trends and look to others for inspiration. But even if you’re wearing a chic dress with some badass pumps, if you don’t love the way you look, then no one else is going to buy what you’re selling.
10. I’m a bad woman. Enough said.
Happy New Year! Happy New You!
-Audra E. Lord
Love this article. I think everyone should look at this list everyday :-).
For the people who struggle with seeing their beauty, I’ll also suggest focusing on one specific part of your body that you believe is gorgeous (this is a trick I used back in high school to snap myself out of the “ugly duckling” feeling).
The key is to wake up everyday and focus on enhancing that particular body part. For me, it was my eyes — for all the teasing I went through, my eyes always got compliments so I honed in on it. I ditched my glasses and invested in contacts so nothing too heavy was blocking them. I stayed away from overpowering bangs or hairdos that cast too much shadow on my face. And I learned how to arch my brows and use eyeliner when I wanted added dramatics.
I said all that to say, if there’s a part of your body that you know is fierce, spending more time giving yourself compliments and pampering that feature acts as a stepping stone to accepting everything else about your body because everything else becomes an accessory for your favorite feature instead of the main attraction to be put down. Focus on the best part of you, and use the rest as its sidekick, and soon enough, you’ll start seeing the beauty in your surrounding features too when you start noticing things like “if I smile this way, the twinkle in my eyes makes my smile look kinda decent” or “if I wear neutral pants/skirts with colorful tops, it balances the size of my hips and brings out the color of my eyes at the same time” or “people seem to be really responsive to me when I give great eye contact,” etc.
I hope this helps someone find a little extra beauty in themselves this year. Cheers! :)
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Now this is a positive and uplifting article. Kudos.