How to Feel Pretty...Because You ARE!!

 Do you ever have days when you feel completely horrible about yourself? Probably more than we like to admit it, at least for me anyways. The truth is that with the way the world is today, it can be horribly difficult to feel good about yourself. We are constantly surrounded by different types of media, all of which displays a very specific type of women- airbrushed and altered to be perfectly flawless and presented as "real". This isn't the case for just women, men are affronted by it too, with shirtless models featuring spray on washboard abs and computer generated cheekbones. But women seem to really get brunt of it. From perfect skin to perfect (and allbeit impossible) proportions, women are expected to live up to such high standards, it's no wonder we, as a collective whole, have such deep self esteem issues.

It can be hard to take sometimes, even with the new "self esteem" campaigns going around like Dove's "Real Beauty" (#GirlsUnstoppable) or NOW Foundation's "Love Your Body". Last year, New York City's mayor started the "NYC Girl's Project-Self Esteem" campaign with a $330,000 budget aimed at helping teen girls feel good about themselves.

NYC Girl's Project-Self Esteem

Celebrities have joined the force and are using their star power to speak out against the harmful portrayals of the media that affect all women, not just teens. Take for instance, Jennifer Lawrence. She's no the first actress to speak out about it, she's just the one currently (and rather famously) speaking LOUD about it. Plus, she's young, which makes her more relatable to all the tween, teen, young adult and 20-somethings out there. 

I won't say too much about her because I've previously blogged about my JLaw love.  But even as much as she talks about it or as much as Beyonce or Gwen Stefani sing about it, at the end of the day it can still be really difficult to feel good about yourself, even as much as your best friends try to help you do it. This is a deeply personal mission of mine. I wish I could make all girls love themselves and see their true beauty and see how really awesome they are. I know I've also blogged about this before, so I'll stay clear of that tangent for the time being. 

 But sometimes, it's downright HARD to feel pretty!! I don't care if you're Charlize Theron or Kate Hudson or whoever, sometimes you just feel awful about yourself and you need someone to say, "Hey, you're beautiful!" (If that could be Ryan Gosling, I'm not gonna lie, I won't be upset about it. At all.) But truth be told, sometimes there's no one else but you and you have to be able to fight back yourself! I was thinking about that this weekend as I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep. I was having one of those moments (or days) and I started thinking about the things I do in those times to make myself feel good. I know people have said to remind yourself of all your good qualities and your uniqueness and the things that make you awesome, but that can be really difficult in certain moments! Am I right?!  

So I started thinking about all the other little things I do or my friends do, and I thought I'd share in case you're ever feeling the same way.

1. Use perfume. I swear, I'm an addict. But I can't help it, wearing nice perfume makes me feel pretty. And it shouldn't be something you ever feel bad for treating yourself to. This is actually what got me thinking about this post. Before I went to bed, I spritzed a little D&G and got under the covers and felt really pretty. Just for me. Just because I needed to. It doesn't matter if you're going to bed or actually out to school/work, it doesn't have to be reserved for dates, it can just be for you.  

2. Buy a new nail polish (and use it). One of my go-to "retail therapy" things when I don't have extra money to spend is nail polish. It makes you feel good and it doesn't cost a lot. Painting my nails always makes me feel put together, and in turn, pretty. Plus, it's a personal statement of who you are. Working in a business atmosphere, it can get tricky to put your personality into clothes and still stay "businessy". 

3. Give yourself a blowout or curl your hair, even if you're not going out. When my hair is freshly done, I feel like a Parisian fashionista! It may sound stupid but it's true. :)

4. Compliment someone else! It will always make you feel better, even if you don't know them! Making someone else feel good about themselves will make you feel good about yourself, that's just fact. And if you're all alone? Text your bff and tell them how beautiful and amazing they are, just because. It will make all the difference in the world!

5. Have a go-to power mix, like the one here.  Listening to fun, girl-power music will make you feel good! Sing loud and proud! "Look at your watch now, you're still a super hot female!" 

6.  Take a trip to the MAC counter. I'm obsessed with makeup, this is not a surprise! My favorite thing in the world is eye shadow, and I have tons and tons of it. For some girls (like my sister), it's lipstick. But for me, it's eyeshadow. It makes me happy and it makes me feel good! That's not to say that you can't or shouldn't feel pretty in your own skin, because you should. But this is different for me. I love the act of putting on makeup, it's an artistic expression of who I am. And it makes me feel confident! So go ahead, buy a new lipstick or eye shadow or whatever you like that plays up you're favorite feature! No, you don't NEED it to be beautiful, but if it makes you happy... it can't be that baaaaad! (Hopefully you heard Sheryl Crow singing in your head just now!) ;) You deserve it! 

7. Slip into a gorgeous pair of high heels. They may not be the best things for you, but there's no mistaking the confidence a pair of heels can do for a girl. Marilyn Monroe once said "give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can conquer the world". I believe that. Sure, you'd probably get there a whole lot faster in flats or a good ol' pair of Chucks, but does anything make you feel more beautiful than a pair of Steve Madden stilettos? I think not. 

I Hope you're all already feeling beautiful, because you are. KNOW THAT. And know that I'm hear to help you believe it! So laquer up those nails, throw on some red-hot lips and a little spirtz of your signuature scent and take on the world! You know you can. ;)