Kay:
Hey there gang! We have an awesome quote, and quest, for you today – from the one and only Serena Williams! And, she says, “I want women to know that it’s okay. That you can be whatever size you are and you can be beautiful inside and out. We’re always told what’s beautiful, and what’s not, and that’s not right.”
Shi:
I love this quote! It is so deep, so raw, so good, and SO Serena! She’s such a strong, powerful woman, and someone that I like to tell my daughters to look up to, and that I think most all of the world admires! And, to hear her come out and speak about beauty, and to speak about this kind of objective-subjective definition of what beautiful “is” is just really incredible. And, really, the perfect quote for Episode 132 here on Tuesday, July 7th!
Kay:
Now, if you are a man, and you also listen to The Mentorship Quest, this quote is for you as well! Because, in this quote she says we’re always told what’s beautiful, and beauty can also be handsomeness. It is not just exclusive to women. In fact, I think a lot of men are beautiful…Have you SEEN my husband? I mean, come on!
Kay & Shi:
*(Laughter)*
Kay:
But, we’re always told what’s beautiful. So, as a society, we’re given this ideal of what is good looking and what is not.
Shi:
I liked that she says here too, “I want women to know that it’s okay. That you can be whatever size you are, and you can be beautiful inside and out” – which just really preaches this acceptance and love, that I think we all need a little more of in our lives! And, that doesn’t mean you don’t have areas to work on, and it doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that you would change if you were the grand, overall designer, but that there can still be so much beauty found, NO MATTER those things! Because, it really is about what you focus on. And, unfortunately, when you’ve got a narrative coming from the outside, telling you what beauty is, it can be really easy to focus on that, and lose your own definition…
Kay:
Well, I can imagine, for Serena, that looking at society’s ideal of beauty was pretty hard for her growing up. When society is saying you should want tiny, you should want skinny, and should you want white…and she’s looking at that and saying, “I’m not any of those things.” And, that can be really difficult. And, it’s even difficult for somebody who is white, and, when looking at the “ideal model” is thinking that’s not really them either…And, oftentimes…it’s Photoshop! So, it’s even more difficult to live up to something that is literally unobtainable, and then to judge ourselves based off of that unobtainable standard, all the while questioning: Who actually decides what that ideal is?
Shi:
Well, the fact that she brings up this inside and outside portion, I think helps add dimension to it. Because, for some reason, in our society, we’ve placed one of our highest values on the physical attractiveness of somebody. And so, all of your worth and your identity gets tied up into how you look physically, and how that matches the mainstream society’s definition of what beautiful is. Which – when you kind of look at it from this overview perspective – it seems ridiculous that we would place so much value of our own worth, based on how our physical body looks. And, to add yet another layer, that then leads to us to making decisions from that place of feeling empowered or disempowered, of feeling worthy or not worthy, and of feeling proud or feeling shameful. And, you know, we all get the opportunity to be this amazing spiritual being, living inside of a physical body, and gifted with intellect…and that’s pretty amazing! Soooo…you got some cellulite! Soooo…you’re not as tall as you wish you were! So – you experience acne every now and then! Like, the miracle of life is still unfolding within those seeming “imperfections”, and in and of itself that is so incredibly beautiful!
Kay:
Well, it’s part of your makeup, and it’s a part of who you are. It’s part of what you were gifted with here on this earth. And, whatever gifts you were given – either physically or intrinsically – it is your responsibility to allow those things to shine. And, if you are dimming your own light, because you’re so afraid that your body, or your physical appearance doesn’t match the ideal set…Which – BY THE WAY – Can I just go ahead and take this up with whoever sets the standard for the ideal women’s figure?
Kay & Shi:
*(Laughter)*
Kay:
But, in all seriousness, you can take a look at that and say, “Maybe I’ll change what that ideal is for myself and let that light shine, and my talents shine, and my gift shine, regardless..because I really am WORTHY!”
Shi:
Mhmm – well, it’s such a good subject, and one we could go on and on about! But, we’ve all had those days where you have a less than great day, because you don’t feel like you don’t look your best. And so, Serena reminds us that, “I want women to know that it’s okay. That you can be whatever size you are and you can be beautiful inside and out. We’re always told what’s beautiful, and what’s not, and that’s not right.”
Kay:
All right, gang – so, today is a nakey quest! Yep…You heard us! Go out there, and get naked! JK – stay IN, and get naked!…Yep, we just said it! And, it might feel a bit weird. Well, actually, it IS going to feel weird! But, we want you to get naked regardless, and go take a good, hard look at yourself in the mirror. Set your timer for at least one minute, and take 60 seconds to notice your scars. Now, think about the strength behind the scars. Take a look at your stretch marks. And then, think about them as signs of the growth that you’ve done as a human. Do your best to reframe those things about your body that you might view as imperfections, and ask yourself: Are they really imperfections? Or, have they really been there as signs of the beautifully strong being you are, all along? Are you ready?
Kay & Shi:
Let’s quest!
