07 Nov #WhyITribe (The Reason Why It’s Important to Celebrate Who We Already Are)…
Beauty For Freedom | Executive Director: Monica Watkins
Celebrating who we are is an integral part of acceptance and loving who we are in this very moment. All roads lead to this point, this moment and this person that we are right now and loving that journey and the process is so important!
Name a time recently when you said about something good about yourself / how did that make you feel?
I recently had a breakthrough in outreaching companies about Beauty for Freedom. There was a moment in that day that I stopped to thank myself for being tenacious and for not giving up. Life throws so many hurdles at you and it’s in these moments of self-appreciation that we have to feel grateful. I had the feeling in that moment of accomplishment and empowerment. “Today was a good day.” I said to myself and smiled.
Why do you think women shy away from celebrating themselves so much?
I believe that women are taught (through societal influences) that we are never good enough… that we have o work twice as hard and be perfect in all that we do to feel accomplished in this world. That is simply not the truth. Celebrating one another and empowering our global communities of strong and worthy women is something of great importance to me. We have to break those ideologies that hold us to unfair standards and we must lift one another up!
How do you overcome the tendency to discredit compliments you are given?
I take a beat, a moment in which I can actually hear what someone is saying and come to the realization that their words are true. We are all worthy of praise and compliments and it’s a powerful thing to be able to say “Thank You”.
How does society reinforce the idea we are not enough and how can we take that power back?
Society is constantly throwing imagery and ideologies at us that are completely unrealistic. The size 2 fashion model, the over-sexualization of women in the film industry and music industry and the constant barrage of negative imagery that is being shown to our young girls through social media… all have a negative effect on the self-esteem of young girls and women shaping and forming their own ideals on who they want to be in life. We have to take the power of the fashion industry, the film industry and what we expose our youth to via social media to take this power back. We can start with our purchasing power as a society and not buy products, magazines, movie tickets and music that has negative and unrealistic imagery in their marketing and branding. Supporting brands that hold themselves accountable and promote healthy body imagery and a healthy narrative is a good start.
Why is THE TRIBE movement important?
THE TRIBE is so important because it’s giving women a voice and a platform to celebrate one another and to promote a healthier perspective about who we really are…encouraging empowerment, positive self-imagery and acceptance!