This is Beautiful

Several Messiah students help the campus community perceive that sometimes beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

We’ve all heard the expression that beauty is all around us, and Messiah students Sarah Pabst '09, Kristal Haynes '09, Naomi Smith '09, and Melissa Martindale '09 would have us thoughtfully apply this expanded view of beauty to our own bodies.

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There were a number of simple and direct responses to the above question including answers such as, “my eyes”, “my nose”, “my huge toe”, while some of the longer answers evidenced a more introspective and even vulnerable look at what beauty truly is:

“My upper arms.  I grew up working on a farm and sawmill so I have rather muscular upper arms.  I am proud of them and love to show them off.”

“My feet.  They transport me everywhere, they put up with horrible conditions such as hot sand at the beach or icy snow in the winter (yes, I am crazy enough to run around bare foot).  I love the feelings that you can get with your feet.  After a long day in heels, taking off the heels and running around on a nice carpet barefoot....priceless.  Or walking around barefoot in the grass after wearing shoes all winter...nothing like it.”

“My hands.  They're small, and my fingers are somewhat thick, but they can shape a formless pile of yarn into a hat for the homeless, and they can play musical instruments and bring joy to others and to me, even if they can't reach very far.”

(Front to back) Naomi Smith, Kristal Haynes, Sarah Pabst, and Melissa Martindale

The initiative was not unlike Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, which began in 2004 and was inspired by a global report, “The Real Truth About Beauty” which found that the “definition of beauty had become limiting and unattainable, as if only thin, young, and blonde were beautiful”. Much like this corporate campaign, these students hope that this initiative was merely the first in a larger, ongoing effort.

“This is the first time that such an installation has been done and we hope that other members of the Gender Issues Aspect of the Human Rights Awareness Club will take the initiative to make this a larger project in the future”, said Haynes. “There are currently talks in development about how to continue to promote positive body image on campus in a similar fashion.”

To Learn More:

Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty