Change The Way You See – Not The Way You Look!
Tips for a Healthier, More Positive Lifestyle from Operation Beautiful:
Stopping Fat Talk and Body Acceptance:
- How To Become Fat Talk Free
- Why Fat Talk Rears It’s Ugly Head When You’re Stressed
- How To Look On The Brightside
- 20 Ways to Love Your Body (© of NEDA)
- Not Limited to One Size or Shape (© of Megan)
- NEW Who Says? (© of Heather)
- NEW Dear Society (© of Mackenzie)
- NEW She’s Not “Fat,” She’s Your Sister (© of the Well Read Hostess)
- NEW What’s in a Picture? Not the Whole Story (© of Heather)
- NEW What is Beauty? (© of Lauren)
- I’m Not Perfect But That’s OK (© of Amanda)
- Face Your “Flaws” (© of Meredith)
- More Love for the “Flaws” (© of Ashleigh)
- No More Self-Doubt: Just Bloom (© of Kelsey)
- Learn to Love Your Body Regardless of Size (© of Mara)
- What if I Stopped Comparing Myself to Others? (© of Mara)
- Sing It: Glee’s Message of Confidence (© of Running with Sass)
Bullying:
- Enough Happiness to Go Around (© of Heather)
- NEW A Tale of Middle School Bullying (© of Anne)
Pregnancy:
- NEW The Size of Your Heart, Not the Size of Your Clothes (© of Stephanie)
Healthy Diet and Exercise:
- No Pressure: Body Image and Weight Loss (© of Julie)
- Why You Should Stop “Dieting” and What To Instead
- Superwoman Syndrome: The Dangers of Overtraining (© of Oh She Glows)
Eating Disorders:
- Create Your Own Standard of Beauty (© of Cristina)
- A Resolution: Love Your Body (© of Shannon)
- How to Talk to a Friend Who May Have an Eating Disorder (© of NEDA)
- Learn more the symptoms and warning signs of Bulimia, Anorexia, and Binge Eating Disorder (© of NEDA)
- How I Overcome Binge Eating (© of Oh She Glows)
- Binge Eating: While You Shouldn’t Feel Ashamed (© of Oh She Glows)
The Media:
{ 79 comments… read them below or add one }
All women are ment to be soft! That is what makes us such amazing Teddy-Bears
Just remember your beautiful no matter what! Keep that beautiful smile on your face
you never who would fall in love with your smile. Keep up the great work girs!
With All Due Respect,
Karly (US PA)
PS: Victoria I agree with ya
Don’t Worry, Be Happy! Everyone is different and that’s what makes us beautiful (Love the new makeover, OB!)
1. Everyone is 10x more beautiful when they smile.
2. Everyone has at least one truly beautiful thing about them.
3. Everyone has at least one person (who isn’t their mum) who think’s they’re stunningly beautiful beyond belief. You probably know them already. There will always be someone.
4. When God created you, he created you to be perfect in his eyes. If you weren’t beautiful to him, he would have created you differently. You are perfect to him, and he loves you so much that he died to save your life. Yes, you who thinks your so ugly. He obviously doesn’t. Looking for true unconditional love? Go Jesus Direct
Love yourselves and others the way he loves you.
God bless you.
You are an amazing person.
God rules!
Thanks, that’s awesome!
God bless!
That made me cry!!
That made me cry too! You are awesome!
Sooooo true! Thank you for this. I have heard this before, and I know that it’s true, its just still so hard to believe it when all of the world around you has specific criteria for beautiful women. :/ its so frustrating.
I believe that if you find something you like about yourself
eyes?,arms,legs,fingers,tummy, surely you think something is nice.
Work at telling yourself that they are beautiful and it will help you gain confidence and appreaciate your body more. Remember every ‘body’ was made differently for a reason.
Alice x ( i love my red hair)
I have curly brown hair, which I love to flip at concerts and when it’s windy!
i have short red hair too!
I have great skin, a shapely back and a really awesome mouth/smile/grin/cheeks!
My quads are great! And I love my eyes and metal-filled smile (braces, of course!) I love YOUR caring comments and love for others! As well as mine! :]
The notes made me smile!
Everything about you was created for a reason! Displaying confidence in who you are is the most beautiful and sexy thing you can do! All you have to do is love yourself and others will love you too.
I love my dark features and my oh-so-fair skin.
Keep up the great work, guys!
- Phavan, malaysia
being beautiful is not how others view you, but it is how we perceive ourselves.
itt’s what inside that matters, and it’ll show.trust me
shine on!
luts of <3 +xoxo,
anis,malaysia mari!
I feel so positive after reading all de comments!!! I ve been so drained of all my positivity recently n I ve been doin all I can to regain it back!!! So what I do every morning wen i wake up is, send mass msgs to ppl whom i love telling dem how wonderful they r n how much dey mean to me!!!! N tat starts de day perfectly positive 4 dem n myself!!! De impt thing is to love urself n dun let any1 make u think otherwise!!!!
I feel beautiful just reading this site, and I haven’t been that I’m beautiful in… I can’t remember the last time XD
I love my eyes (even if they’re hidden behind glasses), my hair (it’s soft ^^), and my smile. Thank you guys, you’re all wonderful
I’m definitely going to be starting my OB campaign shortly
Too many girls, including my girlfriend, think they’re horrid-looking but they’re dead wrong!
Love is everywhere, you just have to find the honest kind.
Thank you Jack for your participation and comment.
I think it really helps us women see the truth in inner beauty even more when we see that a guy agrees!
awww, this is so sweet! thanks so much for posting this! Its so nice to see that there are actually some guys out there who see deeper than outer beauty.
Starting my OperationBeautiful campaign tomorrow. I hope I do what God had planned. God made me, you, and the rest of the world just how he wanted us. And just like my friend told me day before yesterday:
“When God made you, he made you the way he wanted you to be. Don’t let anyone tell you you aren’t beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t amazing.”
Keep your head up and don’t forget that God DOES love you, and there is always someone besides your mom who thinks your beautiful. Your always more beautiful when you smile.
Or Allah, or the Higher Being that you worship… whatever goes.
Learn to fall IN love with yourself! Every time you look in the mirror, smile, and tell yourself “I love you”.
That made me smile
IM IN THE FIFTH GRADE , IM GOING TO PUT THIS UP IN MY SCHOOL BATHROOM My cousin Claire is my hero. It reads ” You look beautiful in that outfit”
awww good for you! Keep it up! its good to see a young girl making a difference!
your no-one but yourself
never try to be someone your not, being you is what makes you unique
theres always gunna be someone prettier than you and someone uglieer then you
<3
even if you dont feel preety, theres always gunna be someone out there who does
These have really helped me. I’m overweight (not as much as I used to be, but I feel myself backsliding) and reading these made me feel so good about myself! My boyfriend tells me I’m beautiful and he loves the way that I look even though I see the same blimp I saw before I lost (over 300 pounds), and while I’m still ‘obese’, generally.. I’m happy with myself.
But as it draws closer to seeing my bf again, I get more and more nervous. So I come here, and I read all the awesome comments and I go back to believing that I am beautiful and I rock my size, whether its a 18 or a 28 so long as I’m keeping myself healthy.
Thank you, ladies.
Good for you. Its good to see someone with enough WANT to loose weight. you truely are a beautiful person.
It’s great you lost that much weight…
I’m fourteen years old, and many people I know are struggling with their body image. Recently, my best friend, who I suspect may, like me, be a self-recovering binge eater, has begun making comments like “God, this soda has 315 calories. I’m such a fatty.” I tell her she’s not, because she’s definitely of a normal body type. She’s not a stick like half the girls at our school, or truly overweight like one or two. Hell, I’m pretty sure she’s got a lower BMI than me, and I’m perfectly healthy. (And beautiful. And so is she.) But I look at her and worry about what the world is doing to this girl.
Thank you for giving me a way to change others and to change myself.
Hi. Hannah im also 14 years old and as it happens im writing this in my science class right now, but its always a good thing to make sure they are not going anorexic or bolimic.I know someone in my school who, in 5th grade, was excersizing in the bathroom and trying to loose weight and she was hospitalized because of it. Tell your friend to embrace her uniqueness and that not everyone had to be twig thin. I eat all time but I am only about 90 lbs. its not good to loose weight when your so thin.
keep your friends close and always have their backs.
operation beautiful does more than help others…it helps the people who put them up! I put up over 20 post it notes around our school and city last week, and not only have several people made their own notes, spoken about how happy the notes made them felt, and visited your site, but I’VE been happier.
Now whenever I look in the mirror, I don’t grimace or look away – I smile! I laugh! I remind myself that I am beautiful. It sounds too good to be true, but one little gesture like this can change someone’s whole view, it’s amazing the power you can have on someone else’s attitude. I am 13 years old, and I’m changing the world, one post it note at a time. Thank you for creating this idea and site. It has changed my world.
you may think you look really bad.. but to other people they may think your gorgeous
The prettiest girls just so happen to be the ones that dont even know its them, the girls that dont care if they are drop dead gorgeous
you dont have to be perfect to be beautiful
love your body, embrace your curves, admire your blemishes. they are what makes you one of a kind, which is more beautiful than the fake girls who cover up everything that makes them unique.
~Girls, hold on to the flaws that make you beautiful<#
everyone is special in their own way. embrace yourself, and remember, dont worry about looks. there are not who you are. Only your caracter is who you are.
Today as I was walking down the hall at my school, this guy handed me a little plastic baggy that had a note and a lollipop. The note read, “Smile, You ARE Beautiful!” It made me feel so good inside. This project is great.
My friend and I have never had good self esteem. But we decided this year would be different. We’re 14 and we knew we needed a change. So we heard about this website and started doing the notes(: It’s really helped and we honestly accept our bodies now(: Thank you sosososo much for the confidence!
The reason the all American boy prefers beauty over brains is that the all American boy can see better than he can think<3
The funny thing is the beauty in art is often nothing but ugliness subdued, it is beautiful for what its about, not for the color on the canvas.
Those who are striking and beautiful are not always good, but those who are good are always beautiful.
so embrace your flaws and love yourself
~you are beautiful no matter what anyone says
I am 31 years old and want to change my life. My self-talk and level of self esteem are lousy, and I’m working to change that. It’s tough sometimes to even speak positive things about oneself, but I believe that the more I do it, the easier it will become. So, I am beautiful. I am lovable. I am smart. I love the length of my eyelashes. I have trouble doing more than one thing at a time (e.g., explaining a concept and typing in the code to my storage facility), but I love that about me.
Have a beautiful day!
I’ve struggled with low self-esteem with my outward appearanece (I was “the chubby kid with the dark frizzy hair and no eyebrows”). As I got older, I lost all of my baby fat (the skinny girls that made fun of me for being chubby when we were ten are now a lot heavier than I am) and my eyebrows finally thickened and darkend.
Srry i’m on my phone and it didn’t let me type the whole thng. I’m now 19 n still struggling with accepting my appearance, but now my biggest problem is my social anxiety. I’m never comfortable tlkng to people (even my own brother). I studder n grow fidgety n the person always ends up thnkng i’m weird… what do i do?
one thing that has a helped a LOT of people is doing a public speaking course! i know it sounds weird but trust me, it works! there’s an organization called toastmasters and i’m sure there’s classes in your area. or, if you’re in college, maybe you could take a public speaking course. it would probably help you feel a little more comfortable around other people! my public speaking class REALLY helped me!
caitlin
Oh, I know how you feel hun. I use to be the same and still am, but I’m improving. I became a Christian and Jesus has helped me so much. You can always talk to me if you feeling bad. I’m 24 years old now but sometimes I still feel 16.
Hi everyone, I just wanted to say thank you for putting up this site. I’m not fat but I used to feel like it. I would “fat-talk” about myself around my friends and they would of course say im not but I could never believe them. Now I look in the mirror and I dont notice my bumps, I notice how bright my smile is, I notice how cute my one dimple is. I feel beautiful, I dont feel fat or that something is wrong with me, I feel amazing and that I am created in the image of God. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s great, Madison! The fire depot had to come to my friend’s house and I asked her if she told them that they were beautiful
I am 13, and I constantly hear my friends call themselves “fat” or “ugly.” I try to tell them how beautiful they are, but it seems to just bounce off them. That’s why I started posting these notes. I hope eventually everyone can know that someone thinks they’re beautiful.
I’m glad I learned to accept myself early in life. I love my big blue eyes, my brown hair, and every little freckle on my skin!
Stay beautiful!
Im 14 years old, and at times i just feel completely ugly. I’m the new girl at school
i hope it gets easier for you! are there any clubs you can join to make friends at?
im the same age, and most days i feel like that, too. My advice to you is to stop comparing yourself to other girls; it will only make your life miserable. You are beautiful just as you are. Your uniqueness is what makes you gorgeous! God made us just the way he wanted us to be and he DOESNT make mistakes. look at the positive things about yourself and stop constantly wishing that you could change the things that you think are “negative”. (even though you are perfect!) I know that this can be sooo hard to do because society is constantly pressuring us into looking a certain way, but you dont have to fall into that trap. Love yourself for who you are. I have alot of trouble making new friends and I’m really shy. I was the new girl last year. You just have to go up to one person (which can be alot easier than a group) who you think you’d like to be friends with and say hi. Trust me, I know how hard this can be, but once you take the first steps, you won’t regret it. It might also help to look for other people who are, say, alone at lunch and go up to them. Chances are they’d love to have you as a friend. A great way to meet people is to do a sport or join a club. Its way easier to befriend someone when you already know that the two of you have something in common.
Please remember that you are stunning and stop saying negative things about yourself! I hope I could help you a little bit.
You can talk to me anytime you want on my page
-Alexis.
Aubrey,
I am a military child and have been through that. It gets better, i promise!
What I love about myself: my blue eyes and my sense of humor!
This website is one of the thigs that keeps me going.
I love you guys!
I Just have to say.. We are all beautiful no matter what..
God has shape us.. so Be proud of it..
I´m proud of my body.. and i´m enjoying my life..
When I found this page i got so happy.. I will start to put som small notes to other womens so that they know that they also is beautiful and that they should be proud of themselfs..
Love
From Genny K, Hökerum,Sweden
I wish they would also take a look at the skinny ones who desire to gain weight. I love this operation but i hope it won’t only be limited to the heavy ones who desire to be thin. I’m thin, naturally, I hate myself because i have skinny legs, I hate myself because I have thin shoulders and legs. I can’t wear a dress which lenght is above the knee because I feel like I have the ugliest legs on earth. I’ve been trying to gain weight the healthy and unhealthy way. I can’t wear shorts because I have chicken legs and it doesn’t look great. I don’t live in a country like US where being skinny looks beautiful, here when you’re skinny you get to be the joke of everyone. It upsets me. Sometimes I don’t go outside because I feel like I’m so ugly I am ashamed. People make fun of my body frame and it’s frustrating.
we’re not limited to one size or shape! check out this post for more info: http://operationbeautiful.com/operation-beautiful-not-limited-to-one-size-or-shape/
you are beautiful
I know how you feel. People tend to pick a lot on me because I’m skinny, they assume I don’t eat or I’m anorexic, but I’m not. It’s frustrating sometimes and yeah I hate my chicken legs too. I wish they were a bit larger.
I’m skinny to mediumish and I get picked on because I’m not so skinny anymore- by my family! It kinda hurts sometimes, but I embrace it.
you are beautiful, i promise xxxx
You are so beautiful to me! can’t you see!
its true you are beautiful just the way you are!!!!
This site makes me want to cry. It’s amazing, it’s beautiful- it’s something really, really special.
<3
my bestfriend since kindergarden is fighting depression and was comtenplating suicide. she keeps thinkibg she is fat and her mom even told her that she looks horrible in shorts, we live in georgia so it is pretty hot, but she refuses to wear anything that goes above her knees. after reading this website i stayed after school one day, took all her books and put ” smile your beautiful, and perfect just the way you are” in all of them, shes been finding them over the course of a couple months. she has beenhappier than shehas been in thelongest time, and wore shirts for the first time yesterday. thank you opperation beautiful for giving me my best friend back, and making her happy again.
As a young girl and teenager, I suffered with severe acne and weight issues. I had no self esteem and I hated myself. At 21 years old now, I still have the occasional breakout and I am still a bit overweight, but something my husband said to me really helped with my thinking. He said: “If your best friend put on a few kilos, or got some pimples, would you think they are disgusting and stop being their friend?” That helped me put things into perspective. I wouldn’t do it to a friend, so why do it to myself?
I am a good person with a good heart, I’m generous and loving and kind. I try to help people. I’m a great cook and quick witted. I have cute features and a nice curve in my back. My legs are strong and my skin is soft and I love my brown eyes
Keep positive,
xox Kat xox
This site is amazing(: It seriously gives me so much hope, which is kind of something difficult to come by when you’re 14 years old, in middle school, surrounded by people who think they’re hideous, and even try and convince you that you are. It’s nice to see that there are people who see the inner beauty in people, and recognize the outer beauty in them that a lot of people fail to see. It’s given me the self confidence I’ve recently been lacking, and reminding me that even if I do have the physical “flaws” like pimples(which my mother keeps pointing out in public-not helping) if I stay happy I’ll be beautiful:D
Hello iam form england i found out about your website on bebo a gilr had made a bebo group about it i was soo happy when i found out about it and i have now started a group on bebo called operation beautifull and ive put your website on so that the message gets spread to gilrs in enagland too
.x
This really lifts me up and I have a little stack of post it’s ready for tomorrow, and I’m getting more after school. But I was talking to a guy friend of mine about it and told him to put notes on guys mirrors. He doesn’t think guys will appreciate being told their beautiful, so what would the guy version of this be?
I like to write things like “be the change you wish to see in the world” or “don’t give up, you can do it!” for men.
Danielle, my brother left a note in the guys room at a resturant because I asked him to! He wrote “You are Awesome” so I think generic things like that would work. You could also use cheesy pick up lines! (Guys like to be flattered too!)
Thanks guys
I’ll tell him to put that up. I think that guys definitely need some encouraging too 
im happy to say that wen i look in the mirror i don’t see ugly i see beautiful. although i have always been told i have the perfect body and was pretty and beautiful i never believed but with the help of some really true best friends ive come to realize i am beautiful in every way. today my hair was a mess n i was in sweats i told my boyfriend im sorry for looking ugly today an he said “what cuz really all i see is beautiful” to me the key part in in getting to change what i saw when i looked in the mirror was surrounding myself with people who love me and arent afraid to put me in my place and remind me when i forgot that im beautiful that we are all beautiful. im 15 n proud to say i am beautiful and so are you
I’ve put post-it’s up in bathroom mirrors before to make people smile, but not like Operation Beautiful. I usually put stuff like “The Chamber of Secrets has been opened” or the lyrics to BananaPhone. Now I think I’m going to start this ^-^
I’m not a “cry-er” but this website is both inspiring and heartbreaking.
Why are people so hard on themselves? We are all unique and we all serve our own valuable purpose in the world. It breaks my heart to realize that so many go through life in a state of self-loathing and feel that it is justified. I know I am just as bad about this as the next person.. but from this second on, I want to try to be as uplifting as possible to both myself and every person around me.
Think about the difference there would be in this world if everyone treated each other and themselves with the respect and love due to them.
Love!
Back in middle school I was one of the girls who kept to herself and wore sweatpants to school because they were more comfy than the tight fitting jeans everyone else liked (they still are ;P). Then one day in seventh grade I suddenly woke up and discovered that in what seemed like overnight to me, I had developed. Huge. I was to eventually grow to a cup size D and it scared the crap out of me. As far as I knew only my older relatives had large busts, and in my world of novels and sci-fi movies none of the characters developed early.
School became awful. Suddenly girls who had stuck to commenting on my choice of fashion were now gawking at me enviously, and spreading rumors how they had ’seen me stuff’ or that ‘I was sleeping around with all the guys in school’. Though I tried not to show it these comments hurt, especially because even my family and friends jokingly would tease me about my bust size. Soon I became insecure, especially as guys acted perverted towards me and made the crudest gestures. I was a bookworm who read on the lunchline to avoid conversation–not a model who liked to strut herself.
I felt really lost until I discovered a quote by Katy Perry, talking about a similar experience she had in high school. For the longest time I felt isolated and alone, but now I’ve realized that everyone’s body shape is completely natural and that big bust or not you shouldn’t be ashamed! To hear that there’s a site like this really warms my heart; if this had been around for me in seventh and eighth grade I like to think I would’ve had an easier time. My new mission? Help other girls realize that their body beautiful no matter what anyone else says!
I heard about this site from reading post-its on every bathroom mirrior at my college. Some girl is smart and awesome and Beautiful for putting them up. They helped me smile because they are completely true. So now I’m going to post these wonderful notes everywhere.
God Bless.
these notes are beautiful. highschool makes my self esteem plummit, but reading these comments makes me feel inspired and reminds me that I am not the only person in the world with body stuggles or problems with who I am. these women really showed me what it is like to really be beautiful.i’m making a promise to myself to focus on loving myself. like 1 corinthians 13:13 says, ” and now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.”
Hi. Can there be somewhere on this site that gives lots of ideas of different things to write on Post-its. It’d be nice to have everyones ideas pooled into one place x
I will try to do this soon!
I just found one of those notes in a library book I was reading. It totally made my day. I’m gonna start doing this to make others be touched like i was.