Brave and Beautiful; A Movement

September 29, 2014

Brave and Beautiful; A Movement

I am Brave and Beautiful - a beauty movement that is sweeping the globe. Colbie Caillat started it with her recent song and video called TRY. My blogging friend Megan of Brassy Apple wanted to push this movement along and invited women from all over to share what they looked like without makeup... and I joined in!! Colbie's song says, "Take your makeup off. Let your hair down... Look into the mirror at yourself, Do you like you? Cause I like you... "

Megan and her friend Cobi of Peacefrom6pieces have been the team behind this whole project. Their worldwide vision included creating their own video inspired by the song TRY. The talent of Robbins Creative made it possible for them to pull it off. You have to click play and see the beauty and bravery displayed and you might even recognize a few faces in there.

Me, along with 101+ other blogging women from different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, ages, shapes, and sizes, have decided to be Brave and Beautiful! You can join in this movement too by sharing what you look like without makeup on. You don't need a blog either! Just tag your photo with #IamBraveAndBeautiful on Instgram and search the hashtag to see who else has joined in. ALSO, if you tag it with a second hashtag - #ColbieTRY - we just might be able to get Colbie Caillat's attention! She was the inspiration behind it all!

Are you brave and beautiful? I am. Here I go...

Sure, my under eye concealer hides those telltale signs of exhausting motherhood. And absolutely, red lips make me feel fierce and fabulous.

But when I take those red lips off--when I take all of it off--I feel real.

Sisters, that is my natural self. And I have to tell you, it feels real pretty. Because I am a real woman with real hopes, real dreams, real gifts, and real joys. Just like you.

I am pretty because I am kind. I am pretty because I am divine in spiritual origin. I am pretty because I use my hands to give, my lips to praise and pray, and my whole heart to love.

Just like you.

In taking off my makeup for that natural shot, I took off something deeper and far more substantial. I took off the heartache from being teased as a child for having buckteeth and a big nose. I took off the fading scars of awkward adolescence, the fear of rejection, and the loneliness of self doubt. I took off societal expectations; what the world tells me of what my physical appearance should be. I took off pop culture's silly and unobtainable definitions of beauty. I bore it all--my heart, my face, my courage, my knowledge of my infinite preciousness.

I saw me. Brave. Beautiful.

Do you see you? The real and glorious you? You are more breathtaking than you know.

share your natrual beauty - brassyapple.com

Don't stop here! Get clicking around - its a blog hop! Below are more brave and beautiful women bearing more than their natural beauty. They each have a little bit of their heart to share with you. Some get very personal. Some share stories. For some this was very hard to do, yet they gathered their courage and did it anyway. We hope as you click around (and YES pin these different posts!) you will feel the importance of it, the empowering effect it has. We hope it helps you and encourages you in some way.