Today I was fortunate to be a part of the Dove Movement for Self-Esteem, where members of the Women's Dermatologic Society can reach out into the community to educate young girls and teens about skin care and promote positive self esteem.  We met with young women ages 11-18 and had a discussion about what beauty means to them, how they feel when they see images of what "beauty" is in the media, what they would like the images to project instead, and how they feel about themselves. 

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with photoshopped images of perfect, often unattainable and unrealistic ideas and images of beauty, it's so important to reinforce to our young women that real beauty is from within, and is made up of thoughts, actions, voices, and attitudes; not a lipstick color or hairstyle.    We also talked about skin care and living a healthy lifestyle that includes eating foods rich in vitamins and minerals, sleeping enough hours at night, mindfulness, and exercise.  

The program's vision is to "create a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety."  Look in the mirror.  You are real, and you are beautiful.  Hug your sisters, daughters, mothers, friends.  Let's encourage and empower each other as strong, powerful, healthy females.  That's true beauty!