Wordless Wednesday – What is Beautiful?

October 15, 2014 Off By Lisa

I found this somewhere yesterday and it brought me to tears. Really.

Watch it. It’s worth it.

CategoryLife
Tagsattitude blessings thoughts

About The Author

Lisa A. Listwa is a self-employed writer with experience in education, publishing, and the martial arts. Believing there was more to life than punching someone else’s time clock and inspired by the words of Henry David Thoreau, she traded her life as a high school educator for a life as a writer and hasn’t looked back. She is mother to one glorious handful of a daughter, wife to the nicest guy on the planet, and reluctant but devoted owner of three Rotten Cats. You can find her adventures and thoughts on living life deliberately here on the blog.

6 Comments

  • zoe says:
    October 15, 2014 at 6:34 pm

    Perfect. You know what they say about great minds! Xo z-

  • Eli@coachdaddy says:
    October 16, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    I’m so glad you shared this. I’ve seen it. I remember thinking that I wanted to take those women out and share a pizza with them. Especially Kela. I still do.

    It makes you think about how we describe ourselves to – ourselves. I joke all the time about being a solid 5 if I have a good hair day. Sure it’s a joke. Isn’t it? After a while, it’s convincing.

    • The Meaning of Me says:
      October 16, 2014 at 6:23 pm

      Yes, Kela was especially sad, I think.
      Funny, I actually just came back from having a pizza with one of the most beautiful young women I know – my Daughter. We had such a great time! She is six and comfortably acknowledges that she is beautiful and smart and funny. I love that she can look at herself and say, “I am adorable!” or “I am so awesome!” or “I am so funny!” My question is where – and why – along the way did women like the ones in the video stop saying that to themselves? And what made them stop believing it?
      Are comments about ourselves like you made here jokes? Perhaps. We say that they are and maybe we really know that we don’t mean it. So why? Maybe because somewhere along the line our heads get filled with the notion that we aren’t supposed to compliment ourselves in that way, that we aren’t supposed to be so “up” on ourselves. Hogwash. But it is true that those little jokes, those jabs, become convincing. It reminds me of the scene in Pretty Woman where Vivian and Edward are talking and he’s saying she’s smart and special and has many gifts to offer and she says, “The bad stuff is easier to believe.” How true. Sad, but true. I’m guilty of self-deprecating humor (or not exactly humor) and when I hear myself say those things, I do have to ask myself what exactly am I teaching my daughter by being so critical of myself? It’s sobering. Raising young women is serious business.

      • Eli@coachdaddy says:
        October 17, 2014 at 12:59 pm

        Compliments are so uncomfortable at a certain age. I wonder why that is. I’d rather my daughters become my age knowing they’re beautiful, and feeling confident about it.

        Not cocky. There’s a difference. I want them to love themselves like we love them.

        • The Meaning of Me says:
          October 19, 2014 at 2:41 pm

          Again, I think it’s what the great “THEY” out there conditions us to think – that it’s somehow not OK to acknowledge the things about ourselves that are positives. I taught high school for almost fifteen years and watching how teenage girls react to compliments from anyone is fascinating – and sad. They should love themselves and be able to feel good about their talents, etc.

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