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:
- NEW You are More (© of Selah)
- NEW Zumba: My Healthy Fitness (© of Mackenzie)
- Letting Go Of My Negativity (© of Jennifer)
- Don’t Say Something to Yourself that You Wouldn’t Say to a Friend (© of Therese)
- What Does It Mean to Have Healthy Body Image? (© of Food For Thought)
- Teenage Girls and Body Image (© of Food for Thought)
- Self-Discovery to Improve Self-Esteem (© of Tracy)
- How Do I Look? (© of Anywhere There’s an Airport)
- My Health Journey: Body, Mind, and Soul (© of Parita)
- 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)
- Who Says? (© of Heather)
- Dear Society (© of Mackenzie)
- She’s Not “Fat,” She’s Your Sister (© of the Well Read Hostess)
- What’s in a Picture? Not the Whole Story (© of Heather)
- 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:
- Dealing with Bipolar Disorder Beautifully (© of Emily)
- Enough Happiness to Go Around (© of Heather)
- A Tale of Middle School Bullying (© of Anne)
Pregnancy:
- The Size of Your Heart, Not the Size of Your Clothes (© of Stephanie)
Attitude
Healthy Diet and Exercise:
- NEW 5 Ways to Elevate Your Mood (© of Roopa)
- Yoga Love (© of Kate)
- 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:
- You Are Worth It (© of Joy)
- What To Do If You Have Distorted Eyeballs (© of Alex)
- NEDA Week Survivor Stories: Monday’s Stories, Tuesday’s Stories, Wednesday’s Stories, Thursday’s Stories, Friday’s Stories, and Saturday’s Stories.
- 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:
- NEW Beauty, Redefined (© Lexie)
- NEW Beauty… and the Billboard (© of Jamie)
- How to be a Critical Viewer of the Media (© of NEDA)
- Magazines vs. Reality (© of Oh She Glows)
Change The Way You See, Not The Way You Look Week Guest Posts:
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I found an article about this through Superchick. I was so touched by this I wanted to join in. Wednesday I put up my first note saying, “You are looking beautiful!”. I am a junior in highschool and I see low self-esteem all the time. Most of the girls at my school are gorgeous, but I really have no idea how they all truly feel. I think it is sad that they coat on the make-up when they would be pretty without. I hope to put more up at my school, but it’s Christmas break now because of snow days. When I travel for Christmas, I will put up as many notes as possible. Hopefully, I talked some of my friends into Operation Beautiful as well!
I can’t to see your notes, Jo! You should submit a note for the book!
I found this website through superchick today to but its august of 2011 but the same message still reins on
I ALSO found this website through Superchick, today. I’m going to start posting sticky notes tomorrow, keeping them with me for whenever I have the opportunity to post one.
salam (hi)
haletoon chetore?(how are you?)
hey! i’m from australia and just happened to stubble on to the site and i really want to spread it round my country! i love the idea and hope that it’ll catch on because i know that in my circle of friends it’s a massive issue. I love this site and think that you are an inspiration to everyone! thanks for the confidence boost!
Xx
I’m from australia as well and i just fell upon this site too. It is a great idea and I want to start spreading it around Australia as well.
Fantastic idea. Hope that I get to spreading these around my uni! I know it’s a major problems with a lot of girls my age (early-late 20s), so hopefully I can boost someone’s confidence. Bathroom mirrors I’m coming at ya armed with sticky notes!
I love Operation Beautiful! A lot of girls post up sticky notes in the locker rooms, bathrooms, and even the school showers to embrace the way girls feel about themselves. I really hope I can target and help as many girls as possible in my school, because I’m aware that several have self-esteem issues, even if they don’t know it.
And thanks again!
Great website!
My name is Carlee, and I am 15 years old. Two summers ago I was diagnosed with an eating disorder. It was the worst experiance of my life, (topping my parents divorce). This website help me see that there is a way out. I am so happy and I absolutly LOVE life. I do not want ANYONE to go through what I had to, so i believe in “the power of a sticky note” and what good it can do for a person. Thank you Operation Beautiful!
I am a stuggling teen that is in fact a size 18. I found out about this when we had a chorus concert one night. I was in the church by myself after being left by my friends and i was changing. I looked at the mirror to get my hair out of my face and i felt horrible, then i noticed a sticky note saying “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL”. At first it didn’t really make a difference. It helped me a little and i stopped crying but nothing big. It wasn’t until later when I realized that sticky note helped me get through the day in my dress. I felt horrid but now i just want to help other girls the way that stickynote on the mirror helped me. Still, i feel a lot better then i ever did before!!!
I’ve been a size 18 since I was twelve and I was a size 20 by the time I was 14. It was murder on my confidence for years, but then I eventually learned to love it. Size is just number and number isn’t worth being miserable over. I spent so much time staring at these gorgeous girls at my school and thinking “Why can’t I look like them? Why do I look like such an ugly giant troll?” that I barely remember being happy in junior high and high school. It wasn’t until one of my friends finally decided to flat out tell me all the things she loved about the way I looked* that I finally realized I was beautiful. I was just so hung up on wanting to be something my giant skeleton could never achieve that I completely missed all the wonderful things about my body. Don’t let that happen to you. Don’t spend so much time pining for something that is impossible for both us that you miss all the ways your gorgeous.
*My favorite of her compliments is still “You’re round, but in a wonderful way. You look like the perfect mother, soft, gentle, warm, and welcoming. Everything about your body is comforting and soothing. It’s all very huggable and I love it.”
I heard about this a while ago, but recently I’ve seen a lot of stories on websites I frequent about people finding these post-it notes. So I decided to join the cause. I ventured out into the world armed with a cube of multi-colored sticky notes and a handful of pens, and tackled my school. Throughout the day I checked the bathrooms frequently to make sure the post-its were still there, and to my dismay most had disappeared. Then I realized that maybe people weren’t just tearing them down and throwing them away. Maybe they were taking them down and hanging onto them, a little piece of reassurance to get them through the day. I hope it’s the latter, anyway; if it were the former that would just be sad.
I set my eyes next on the mall – bathrooms, dressing rooms, wherever. My hope is that one day I’ll find that another post-it note bandit has gotten there before me.
Dear Operation Beautiful,
When i am at school most of the time, i feel self- conscious about my body. I don’t like the real-me. But whenever i look at these pictures, i little voice in my head says it’s okay. I like reading other responses and comments left here. I know that i’m not the only one who doesn’t like her body. That is why earlier last year, my town,Hopewell, had a program called Girls on the run. It is not all about running. It teaches you to just love who you are and accept that. I learned a lot about things i did not even know. Now, i am running almost every day and feel great about myself. Your website is on my ” favorites” on my computer. I look at all of the pictures when i have free time. Now, I can not worry about being self-conscious all the time and focus on the pretty side of me and put all of the bad stuff behind!
Guess what, Cat? I’m a coach for GOTR! It is my favorite thing in the entire world to do! I also love to run and think it makes me feel so strong and amazing. I am glad you are part of GOTR!!!
Love,
Caitlin
This website and what it stands for has helped me so much…
I just want to thank everyone who has and currently is participating in this meaningful movement! It’s so incredible and I’ve noticed my confidence go up each time I see the thoughtful O.B. notes people have left one another in my school’s restrooms.
Thanks again !!
-Annabelle
You deserve to feel good about yourself
Love ya Annabelle!
Caitlin
I, nor have my class mates, had the true experience of an Operation Beautiful note… but im in the 8th grade and a lot of girls at my school are self concious (including me). We say were ugly, fat and truthfully were not, were all beautiful, and after seeing this site, im going to start posting notes around the school, even in the 6th and 7th grade stalls
i think its super great that someone thought of this, and i really do want to become one of the future Operation Beautiful Leaders <3
You are awesome!
This is the most amazing website ever! I plan on starting this within my school or just around random places! I’ve never been in a position that is extremely bad but I’ve always been lacking self confidence, thank you so much for helping me see that I am beautiful, and that everyone really is beautiful! Hopefully this will be a wonderful start to e great year, with the help of Operation Beautiful!
My first time I heard about operation beautiful was, well today! I was in the bathroom and stuck to the wall was a post it and it said; if you are reading this you are beautiful and everything will be okay! <3* It was almost like someone was reading my mind, I was having some trouble with school and fights,,, ect. It's hard to really fit in because I'm the tallest of all of my class— like the whole grade even taller than most of the guys! It really motivated me, Its amazing how a little blue sticky note can change alot!
^* today I bought a pad of post it's and a great pen and I'm excited to get going!*^
I went to a birthday party, and we all got bars of chocolate, I opened mine to eat it, and there was a sticky note that said…
” your you, gorgeous, and don’t let the world tell you different!”
I really hope that this website helps the girls who see themselves as an ugly person. No one is believe it or not, you you!
To All The Teens-
YOUR BEAUTIFUL! dont let anyone tell you different! <3 dont look at the mirror image , look deeper inside!
A great website is The Pink Locker Society, based on a book by Debra Moffit, because it not only educates girls about the ‘pbbs’ (periods, bras, boys) but also helps reinforce positive body image. I highly reccomend this site for kids!
Love the PLS!!!
I have been overweight for a long time, but usually like who I am as a person. Last month, I lost my job unexpectedly and all of that extra time to think – about who I am, my life, parenting my son as a single mom, my purpose – has put me into a terrible depression; some days I feel like giving up on life altogether.
When I was at Kmart the other day, someone had written “you are beautiful” with the Operation Beautiful website on the check-writing station. It caught me off guard, and brought tears to my eyes. I went home and looked in the mirror, looking for the beauty that I know is in me, and I could see it glimmering behind all the self-hate I’ve been building around me. I could feel the angry wall around my heart starting to crumble, my resolve to not live anymore strengthening into something a lot more positive.
Tonight, I passed on this site to another friend in the hopes she can benefit from it, as well. Thank you for helping every single person in this world realize that they’re beautiful and WORTH it.
love ya, girl!
I’ve been seeing these post its in Starbucks and unfortunately we have to take them down when we see them because people started to complain to us. So I decided to take a look on the website here and I now understand why these post it notes keep showing up! I’m definitely going to start doing this
Yay!
I found at least 4 sticky note about in the halls At schlol it made me feel really good so I looked up the website!
How can you all say that. For me it’s soo complicated. I’m the nerdy, mexican, poor, shy girl at a rich private school where I thought judgement wouldn’t be so harsh as it was when I was in a public school. In reality, it felt exactlly the same. I’m excluded from the crowd. Everyone there wears the same clothes, the same, hair, the same music. It’s hard to go to school when everyday and everytime you walk in and their just staring at you like you an alien. I know I shouldn’t care what people think. I get told that all the time, but it’s just so hard. I don’t think I can deal with it anymore. HELP.
I am so sorry Katelyn, it’s so hard to feel out of place. Especially when you’re in middle/high school. But in reality, you are smart and awesome, and just because other people (who are also probably terrified of being different) can’t see that doesn’t mean it’s not true!
“I’m no beauty queen, I’m just beautiful me”
I’ve consider myself pretty or beautiful. I was at school and I got out of class to go do something for a teacher. In the hall I saw a piece of paper on the floor, I picked it up and it had this website on it. I took it home and this site has changed me.
Now I have a sticky note on my mirror that says ‘your beautiful’. That reminds me that no matter what, I am beautiful. Plus my friends started putting sticky notes in the bathroom with ‘your beautiful’ with the website on it.
Thanks so much!!
-Heather
My friends hannah and kate and I have been putting post it notes all around the school, we have made our own operation for operation bueautiful called pretty papers
we love Operationbeautiful its amazing and we are glad to make other realise how beautiful they are. xoxoxo
I really love and admire this website because it helps young woman love themselves for who they are. I myself have struggled with body issues. Boys/Men have teased me all through Middle school (and even recently) for not looking like the other girls my age. Many of the girls in my classes, or my friends have awesome bodies and I am flat chested and just “stick-like”. The teasing really altered my perception of myself. Ever since I found this website I really have been trying my hardest to get over that. That type of thinking has really deteriorated relationships with guys and even my relationship with myself. Through this website I’ve decided to try to kick those negative thoughts about myself and live a better life. Every girl deserves to. If you have any tips to give me to keep me on my way to getting better, please respond. Thank You. =]
I attacked the local library with pink stickies
sadly I forgot to write the website address, but I hope my hearts and love words made women smile.
When did you start this organization? I feel like I should have started this idea when I first had it back in 2006… You beat me to it!
In June 2009!
I don’t see the beauty in me or on me anywhere but I see it on everyone else. :/
I bet other people see the beauty in you!! i do!
i used to be like that too. just know everytime you look in the mirror you are so unique, beautiful and loved. All girls are beautiful and even more so when they believe inside they are. <3
All my life i’ve been made fun of for my weight and how I look. I’m currently and freshman at Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Arizona. Every once in a while there are little quotes left on mirrors in the bathroom and I never botherd to look at them. But today I got made fun of because of a big bump I have on my face from being attacked with a shower hose. I was told it matched the rest of my body. But anyway I walked into the bathroom very upset and when I looked to see if anyone else was in there I looked over to the mirrors and ALL around each one was a quote about being beautiful as I read them I started to cry. Because they didn’t make me feel so alone anymore. On the bottom I read OperationBeautiful.com, and I decided to share my story. Thank You so much and it’s nice to know i’m not alone. We’ll all fight together.!
Hi, I’m Jaeda. I am a sophomore at North High School in California. I moved here two years ago from Denver because my dad got a new job. I had lived in Colorado all my life, and it was so hard to leave all of my friends and everything that I knew. So it was my first day of 8th grade, and I was so nervous. I didn’t know a single person, and when I walked through the hallway everyone was staring at me: the New Kid. At lunch, I felt ugly and hurt because no one would let me sit with them. I sat down in the bathroom, crying; I was going to eat my lunch there that day. But then I saw a yellow Post-It note. It said “You are beautiful.” Those three simple words gave me the courage to stand up for myself and others. Thank you, everyone at Operation Beautiful, for that Post-It note.
Everyday I look in the mirror and only look at my flaws. All the zits, freckles, everthing. My friends all say that I’m really pretty but I just don’t see it. How do I boost my confidence and look past my flaws?
Why don’t you make a list of all the reasons you are awesome and tape it to your mirror so you can read it every time you look in the mirror?
I’m a redhead with freckles, and I think they’re one of the most beautiful things about me. They make me unique, and no two people can ever look the same if they have freckles! Love yourself, because I do and I think you look beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-vWKSzqBOk
I live in Ecuador, I am a missionary kid and I want to tell people here they are beautiful. Because most of the girls all have brown eyes and black hair, they think they are ugly or the same as all the rest. This of course is not true.
I will bring them Operation Beautiful and start putting notes in public places, and maybe–just maybe, people will see them and feel better about themselves.
i completely support this…but what if it doesn’t help me? I find these notes around my school, and i will feel better for a while, but not long. Does this mean i really am ugly?
No, it means that you just need to develop your self-esteem a little bit more
that’s ok! have you ever done any community service projects at school? finding something i was passionate about (i volunteer twice a week) really helped me see how beautiful i am.
thanks……ill try that. But im a cheerleader so im around beautiful girls pretty much everyday. How do i cope with that?
Why don’t you ask your best friend what she thinks is your best physical and mental quality? Then, when you feel down, you can think about what she said!
I am 16 years old, and im very conscious about my legs. they have stretch marks all over them. i have this really strong thought in my head that ill never be able to go to the beach with friends or a guy, or go to pool parties and have fun because i feel like everyone will stare and laugh, i see all these other beautiful girls around school with perfect legs and no marks on them, i feel as if its not fair that i have to be covering them up all the time. My closest friends tell me to not worry but i feel as if its easy to say it because they dont have them, ive tried creams but they dont go away, my skin is very pale-ish and the marks are purple. i feel like a huge outcast especially at school since its right next to the beach! please someone help me!!
i’m 13, and as a girl with curves [i look as if i'm 16, not 13] i get made fun of by guys, because at this age they believe that all the pretty girls are stick-thin. i’ve been bullied about “being ugly and fat” since i was in 6th grade, and now there are only three guys that make fun of me [two of them have pretty much quit] but one of them feels the need to make fun of EVERY girl. he makes fun of “pretty girls”, skinny girls, curvy girls, flat-chested girls, big-chested girls, etc. i have every single class with him, so i’ve personally seen him put down any girl that he can. i’ve learned to not let what he says hurt me, because i know that he has issues at home and his own self-esteem issues. i’ve alredy made plans to start sticking sticky notes around my own room and just random places i go to. i don’t care what this boy says to girls, i know i can overpower what he says with just one sticky note. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.<3
hello,
i’m coming from the netherlands so it goes all over the world.
today i was going to the toilet and in the whole toilet you can see notes i was just in a minute happy to read these notes with a website on it. so now i’m going tomorrow hang these notes in more toilets in the school.
Every time I go to the neighborhood Walmart in Tulsa, OK, I always see Operation Beautiful notes on magazines. It truly makes my day!!! Thank you to whoever is posting the wonderful notes!!!!!
I’m traveling to Missouri next month and everywhere we stop on the way I plan on putting up some post-its! Might have my boyfriend put one in the men’s room cause I know some guys that could use them too!
i am in high school and most the girls are really pretty and are also are bullies i tryed changing my looks to fit in but i found myself very uncomfitable with the change luckaly i have an all girl class at school called REACHING FOR THE STARS it is a really good group and all the girls are really nice and we brought up the site for operation beautiful and i just had to check it out now i am really happy with myself for who i am and will never let anything come to change that
In elementry school I felt so..ugly. It didn’t help that everyone around me agreed so. I didn’t really have friends and wasn’t close to my family. Then middle school came and I did what I did to ‘fit in’ but once I was there,..I didn’t like it. I’ll make this quick, lets just say that highschool was where it changed. I decided that I either had to do something about things I didn’t like, if possible like weight(I was seriously overweight) or just suck it up! So I lost some weight, (still working on it currently) and I treated myself like I was meant to be treated. Which meant no rude comments about myself. I’ve finally came to self acceptance with myself! Do you know how good it is to feel great about yourself and who you are? Its amazing! Come on girls, this is your last chance at this one life RIGHT NOW! Get over yourself you know that you are beautiful
Later!
Stay Beautiful,
<3 msjcj13
Thank you. your comment and experience made me smile. Maybe i should try and accpet myself.
I’m a recent high school graduate and I have fallen in love with this operation. My junior year I was suicidal and did not eat. I though i was ugly fat and that no one would ever or could ever love me. My best friend and my best guy friend were the only people who knew about this stuff so they encouraged me to start a blog, I agreed as long as my best friend did it with me. We did challenges every month which included things like not wearing makeup for a month or sticking operation beautiful post its on every stall and locker in our high school. It was empowering and now i am going on to major in nutrition to help healthy become the new skinny and loving yourself come before others loving you. My friend and I are having an all ages no makeup photo shoot to show other women how beautiful they are without “help.” This is a great encouragement I am in love with myself and appreciate what you are all doing. God bless your mission!
this is great(: it deserves more popularity.
i saw myself as a great person until people i loved started making comments about me. ONe person whose opinion i really care about not only called me fat but also disgusting. I am a size 6. I refused to eat for 3 days and had to be taken to the hospital for dehydration. It made me feel stupid laying there with all the doctor’s saying that i may have an eating disorder. Even my parents think i do. I know i dont. I can control myself. I decided to get into shape instead by doing zumba. Its the best thing i could have ever done. I still am not confident about myself but i am getting there. THis helps so much. I am finally getting back on my feet. My group of about 30 friends also agree and support this operation. We will be spreading this all around wisconsin
thanks
Ive gone through a move in the last 7 months i lost my friends but gained new ones. I can do so much more in my new home but yet i still feel as if im ugly. I just need help and advice. Can anyone help?
We love you Agatha!
This operation is so great!.. im feeling like crapa dn i found one of these on my page. its made me feel good. im currently battling sking conditions and its spreading to my face. it makes me feel so yucky bt people still call me beautiful. its really touching!.
thanx
-love bob
xxx
your website it causing problems with all of the classes at my school
I live in Florida around a many girls who under estimate themselves every day. I have seen a girl on the verge of cutting her wrists because she felt unloved and I had to convince her that she is worth so much to this world and the people around her. Depression is killing off our youth and without proper guidance, I’m afraid girls will live out their lives that way.No one is perfect. I have problems with wanting boys to accept and love me because I don’t have a good father figure. I found myself looking for love in all the wrong places and eventually demolishing the trust my mom had for me. Our relationship has gone down the drain because of me and I’m afraid that if I lose her as well, I will only continue making bad decisions. I don’t trust anyone due to being defied and misused. I need help finding a positive way to cope with my emptiness. PLEASE let me know if there is any suggestions. I don’t know how much longer I can deal with this stress.
Miranda – do you belong to a church? Personally, I’m not religious, but I know that many people find strength in the community of their churches. Or maybe you should talk to your mom about ordering and reading the Operation Beautiful book together. That might help you and her gain closeness!
i Have a friend who cuts herself and when she finds a boy that asks her out she goes after him and she always gets her heart broken she goes to church i talked to her to trust in God but i think she forgets that a lot if you join consider a nazarene church and please remember Christanianty is a relashonship with God not a religion.
God Bless
Great website! Here’s a great article for everyone:
The Beauty Myth and the Commodification & Colonization of our Bodies… http://www.newint.org/blog/edi?tors/2011/03/09/beauty-myth-an?d-madness/
This is beautiful.
I was walking around my school one day and I was feeling really down because someone had just called me fat, then I seen a post-it note on the bathroom door, it said “you’re just as beautiful as you let yourself be, change the way you see, not the way you look”. It made my day. Tomorrow me and my friends are doing an post-it note mission in 3 different towns, wish us luck!:)
Stay beautiful<3
Why only for girls and women? That’s kind of messed up… there are a lot of guys and men who feel bad about the way they look and who are also being negatively influenced by the media. Doesn’t everyone have the same right to feel good about the way they look?
It’s for men, too! Erik, I would love to see some of your notes!
Oh, my! This is just beautiful. I heard of this from Love Your Flaws. I live in Hong Kong, but I’m a Filipino. There’s a lot of racism going on here. It’s quite difficult to find jobs as well. So I’m dealing with all this low self-esteem. I’m quite relieved that I’m not the only one going through this. I haven’t posted a note yet, but I’d like to try it. I want to read the book as well. All this positive thoughts are so encouraging. I hope to bless others just as Operation Beautiful has blessed me. Thank you for letting God use you to bless others. I am very proud of you!
Wow. I really don’t know what to think. I found out about operation beautiful because one of my ex’s used to post sticky notes around the bathroom, and then i participated too and before i knw it tons of people were particiapitng. it was a feeling of magic. however, this is my first time on this website and it offers help and advice that im sure i need yet am scared to read and take. guess i just can’t step up to the plate to help myself yet. please help me.
Start slow!! You don’t have to overhaul yourself overnight. Just change one thought to a positive thought each day!
I have been struggling with body image for quite a while, (I’m 13) and i can’t really seem to get over it, also i have been through depression. But lately i have been feeling my happiest and i have never realized i have had such an amazing life, by finding this site it has inspired me to help others with depression
Thank You.
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