For all women
You don’t need makeup
You don’t need jewelry,
And you don’t need a new haircut.
You don’t need to be thin,
You don’t need to be big.
You don’t need to change your weight.*
You don’t need fashion magazines
And you don’t need high heels.
You don’t need splendid portraits of yourself.
You don’t need special clothes
You don’t need everyone to look at you,
And you don’t need a new face.
You are already perfect as you are.
Right now,
as you are reading this,
whatever you’re wearing,
in whatever fashion,
whatever you may naturally look like,
You are beautiful.
You always have been.
And you always will be.
Remember this.
*This is about beauty, not health. If your weight is unhealthy, please take care of yourself.
Photo by aussiegall
This is beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
thanks! np
We (women) should recite this to ourselves every morning, first thing, when we start our days.
yes, recite it frequently throughout the day too
I’m giving this to Angela
sweet, hope she enjoys it
Lynn-this says it all. It needs to be shared.
Thanks, Lori!
Hi Lynn — thanks for this post. It had me reflect on how probably the most exciting (and scary) thing about being with a woman for me is those moments when we’re totally honest with each other — not just in the “pouring our hearts out” sense, but also in talking about “racier” stuff. When a woman is willing to do that sort of exploration with me, which I understand requires a lot of trust, that’s far more important to me than what clothes or shoes she wears.
Hi Chris, That’s really great that you can appreciate a woman for pouring her heart out. It really is a sign of trust, and can also be a source of deeper connection. Being vulnerable is the path to connection. Thanks for sharing your view!
Lynn,
This is a beautiful reminder in a society that trains women to be so self conscious in so many ways! I rarely ever wear makeup (even at work), sometime I wear “frumpy” clothes, other times I wear “nice” clothes. I do what feels right for me at the time. I enjoy my mind, body and soul. And by doing this, being true to myself, and doing what I love to do, I glow from the inside out. While I might not get cat calls walking down the street, I do have people tell me I am beautiful, or that I have a natural beauty. I believe that our beauty comes from within, and even the most “attractive” women can be quite un-beautiful based on their state of being.
So when women Love themselves, and I mean Truly Love themselves, they will find that other around them are attracted to their energy in so many ways. You will make the room glow when you walk into it.
Stacey, That’s so wonderful. I’m really happy to hear that you wear whatever feels right, whether that’s “frumpy” or “nice”. I rarely wear makeup now and it feels incredibly liberating not having to think about it. I agree with you about natural beauty, people have told me similar things! I think it’s all about the way you carry yourself, and the confidence and self-comfort you naturally exude. Thanks so much for sharing your perspective!
Lynn, what a beautiful gift to women everywhere. Today I looked down at what I was wearing–an oversized t-shirt and leggins. I was painting cabinets and my hair was a mess. My husband needed my help so I drove over to the office and apologized for looking so unkept. His reply was perfect—he said I looked cute. Thanks again for keeping it real. Please look at the flower pictures on my website for inspiration.
Miriam
Miriam, that’s such a cute story. I’m so glad your husband thought so.
I really loved your website, it was very inspirational. I shared it with my parents, who are involved with oncology and love to take pictures of wildflowers.
I’m so glad you shared it with your folks. If you’d like I send out a daily email with new flower blooms from the garden. People have commented on how nice it is to start the day with something beautiful and calming. Let me know if you’d like me to send it to them. You can reach me at dalesgardenBverizon.net just substitute the B with the @ symbol in my email address.
See you in the garden,
Miriam
Hello Lynn
Beautiful article! I think our society needs these messages so much. We need to balance out the scales as they have swung so far in how they make women feel, look, act, etc… We are putting makeup on our toddlers almost today, and conditioning little girls to focus so heavily on their external appearance. We have so many beautiful girls and women that feel so broken inside because they feel they are not fitting the mold that society has set, or looking like they should
I second what Stacey said in that beauty truly glows from the inside out and this is never mistaken as our entire energy field vibrates with it.
Thank you so much for writing this!
Thanks, Evita! I agree – beauty glows from the inside out! The way you carry yourself, the confidence you project when speaking to others, all of these things transfer more so than your physical appearance. Thanks for your comment!
This is wonderful Lynn,
It’s also a message that applies equally to men. It took me many years to be comfortable with my body and how I look as compared to how society thinks men should look. There is certainly much more pressure put on women in this regard but men are just as susceptible to these pressures and detrimental impacts associated with them.
I love myself and I love my wife and I appreciate the beauty of all people. Life is too wonderful for anything less than that.
Thank you, Spyros! You’re right, the message applies equally to men and their image. I’m not as familiar with the male experience, so I felt I could only write for women. Perhaps you can write a male counterpart?
Your love for people is very beautiful, and I definitely agree with your last statement! “Life is too wonderful for anything less than that.”
Not a bad idea at all. I think I will work on a male version.
I had an idea for my Tuesday post, but I think I’m going to do this instead.
Thanks for the inspiration Lynn!
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