RWB Randomness

The Dove Real Beauty Sketches video on YouTube has received some serious traction and debate this week. As I type it has over 7 million views, over 49,000 “Likes” and a little over 800 “Dislikes” AKA from the west coast I can hear the bottles of east coast Dom Perignon being popped in the Dove Marketing Department. The premise of the Dove Beauty Sketches video is a forensic artist who asks women to describe themselves aesthetically – from their descriptions he draws a sketch of their face. Then someone meets this woman – the person describes the woman to the forensic artists. What do you know; people describe the woman as more “attractive” than the way the woman originally described herself.  

I will tell you what I like about this video. I like the amount of times people have emailed, facebooked and texted this video to me. I am truly flattered that I am thought of when it comes to discussions of societal beauty, philosophy and the media. I am honored to be thought of in such a positive light. Thank you! I dig you and will hug you for 20 seconds longer than appropriate the next time I see you! Watch out!

I also like that Dove who is a major manufacturer of beauty products has taken a stance to discuss the perception of beauty in their advertising. This video shows that “Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.” What one person calls a “bony chin” is someone else’s “gorgeous bone structure.” The verdict on beauty is definitely still out. Thank you Dove for reminding us all of that. 

What I dislike AKA the reason you clicked on this post, is that this video is communicating, “Women have a hard time seeing themselves accurately. If women saw how attractive they are they would be much happier. Therefore you should try to see yourself as PHYSICALLY ATRRACTIVE.” Here is where I plant my face into the palm of my hand and say, “So close Dove, so close.”

Ya see, Dove and I are on the same team. We want people to know they are beautiful, to be confident and have sound mental health. We know how rough life can be when a person doesn’t know they are beautiful (i.e. eating disorders, low self-esteem, anxiety, yada, yada, brown banana) but our game plans on this team are completely different and this is where we start blogging about each other.

Here’s why, Dove's message communicates the importance of feeling beautiful in your physcial aesthetic. On the flip I spend my time and energy communicating that attention needs to be taken AWAY from the physical aesthetic and instead our value needs to be placed on our actions; what we can DO with our body parts not what they LOOK like. If I sat down and described myself to the forensic artist I would say, “I’m a babe! I have big green eyes that allow me to see so much into people’s pain and struggle that it makes me cry.  I have dark brown hair that is sometimes straight, but naturally curly – the way I wear it depends on my variety of mood’s that benefit and hinder me relationally, physically and emotionally. Sometimes there are bags under my eyes from so much work and sometimes I am rested from spending time with strong and courageous people who inspire me and make me laugh until my cheeks hurt. Some days my skin is breaking out from stress and sometimes I am glowing from the realization that I am living an incredible life that once upon a time I did not want to live. Mostly I look like a survivor, a risk taker, a woman of faith, compassion with so much to say that it’s hard to think straight so I end up cussing and pissing off my mom – please draw that - that’s what I look like.”

I bet the forensic artist would pull back the sheet between and say, “Who are you and who let you in here?” And then I would say, “I represent Rewrite Beautiful, an organization and a revolution. We creatively change how girls see beauty in themselves for eating disorder prevention through education. We say that BEAUTY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WAY THAT YOU LOOK. BEAUTY HAS TO DO WITH THE WAY THAT YOU ACT. Think about it, sure you see a girl or a guy that you’re attracted to. You have a conversation, you go on a couple dates, whether or not that person becomes your boyfriend, girlfriend or best friend has very little to do with what they look like. Ya know what has 95% to with it? The way that person ACTS. I know for myself that when I start talking to a new person I start gathering information,

• Is this person creative? Can they teach me something new?  
• Is this person kind? Can they think outside of themselves with empathy for others?
• Is this person strong? Do they mean what they say and say what they mean?

I want creative, kind and strong people around me. What they look has very little to do with whether or not that person gets to be a part of my life.”

I would also say, “BTW: Sometimes people can’t control the way they see beauty. Sometimes people have mental disorder like an eating disorder which prevents them from seeing themselves accurately. Yes, 1 in 4 girls have a mental illness called an eating disorder that gets in the way of them seeing reality. That person will need a team of medical doctors, counseling and community support in order to restore their health. Us telling them that they are ‘actually really pretty’ will not fix the problem.”

I applaud Dove for their efforts to talk about society’s perception of beauty. This is a mental and social issue which we all need to talk about. Thank you Dove for making this video and for igniting these conversations. Next time you go to make a video hit me up, I have a vision for a video that communicates all of the creative, kind and strong things women can do with their able and well moisturized body parts. I can be reached at Irvina@rewritebeautiful.org and take meetings on Thursdays.

What was your reaction to the Dove Beauty Sketches?

 Was it a hit or a miss?

Chit chat, thats where its at!

Rewrite Beautiful has some pretty awesome friends who have used their CREATIVE entrepreneur spirit and combined it with KINDNESS! All of the companies below either give a percentage back to non-profits or provide jobs and education for people in developing nations. Here are some of our favorite creative and kind companies that give back this holiday season:

Ever/after Clothing: ever/after is known as the cool, relaxed, hipster, James Perse esque clothing line that gives back! For every purchase, ever/after clothing donates 25% of the proceeds to the charity of your choice! www.everafterclothing.com

Epic Time Pieces: For every Epic timepiece that you purchase, Epic will provide clean water to someone in Haiti for an entire year! Epic gift! Just sayin’! www.epictimepieces.com

The Monument of our Hearts: A clothing company dedicated to helping people see that their beauty and worth come from within! Hey, that sounds familiar! We love TMOOH! www.tmooh.com

International Princess Project: Based in Southern India. This company restores women who were formerly enslaved by prostitution by teaching them a trade – to sew. Their new skill allows them to not only make a living and support their families, but also empowers them to know that they have creativity and skills they can use in our world. The women make adorable Punjammie pants! Help them to restore their lives here: www.intlprincess.org

Collaborative World – Our friends from Collaborative World create awesome T-Shirts and bags that give 50% (yes, you heard that right – 50%) of their profits to local non-profits doing great work! Give is the Brand. Check them out: www.thecwmovement.com

31 Bits – 31 Bits jewelry is all the rage in OC! Not only was this company started by three creative, kind and strong college girls, but their business model rocks! They employ women in Uganda to make their jewelry out of recycled paper and teach the women how live sustainably, provide for their families and eventually start their own business. 31 Bits uses fashion and design to empower women to rise above poverty!

Get yo’ bits here: 31bits.com

Toms: Here at the Rewrite Beautiful headquarters, Tom wedges are all the rage! For every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will donate a new pair of shoes to a child in need! www.toms.com

CMNTY Clothing: Did you know Rewrite Beautiful is located in Southern California? The Pacific Ocean is a source for a lot of our creative reflection. Which is why we love CMNTY! CMNTY will donate 15% of each purchase to organizations and research companies devoted to helping and restoring our oceans! Restore our oceans here: cmntyclothing.com

Love Shop Give: 20% of what you spend at Love Shop Give will be donated to the charity of your choice! www.loveshopgive.com

Krochet Kids: Krochet Kids hats keep our heads toasty warm and uber stylish over the winter! Krochet Kids creates sustainable economic development programs that support holistic growth of individuals and communities within Uganda and Peru! Support the Kids here: www.krochetkids.org

Rewrite Beautiful – If our friends just didn’t put the marshmallows on your cocoa than you can always support us! Rewrite Beautiful offers art, t-shirts, dresses and wristbands in our shop. All of the proceeds go towards our eating disorder prevention programs including our school programs, street art workshops and supporting beautiful action clubs in schools. Prevent eating disorders through your favorite non-profit here: www.rewritebeautiful.org/our-shop

Everyone at Rewrite Beautiful wishes you a creative, kind and strong Holiday season! Thank you for supporting our friends and us this holiday! 

Rewrite Beautiful is friends with Element Eden, a rad So Cal clothing company that highlights Eden Advocates; women who are visionary, whose stories exude creativity, passion and social awareness. Check out the Eden Advocates HERE and tell us one advocate that inspires you most! Post your answer on the Rewrite Beautiful Facebook page HERE! We will randomly pick a winner at the end of today to win the Element Eden Estonia sweater to wear to our art show -PEITHO on November 29^th.

The only thing sweeter than sweets made with love are sweets made with love by TWINS! Hillary and Heidi are the women behind Twinfully Sweet, an adorable dessert catering company! Whether you need a cake, cake pops, cupcakes, mustache cookies or an entire dessert table of goodies, Twinfully Sweet knows their sweet stuff! We are so excited to bite into some of their goodies at our upcoming art show PEITHO! Thank you for your KIND donation Hillary and Heidi! We are so thankful that you are sharing your creativity with us!