That Tube of Lipstick

I read a story once where a little girl – maybe around 5 or 6 -- asked her mom if she could borrow lipstick “so [she] could be pretty, too.”

And my heart broke. 

Let’s just add this story to the list of reasons why I have to finish this 30-day challenge.

To be honest, I don’t know what the end of this challenge looks like. I don’t know how I will feel or what I will find to be true. All I know is that I need to be certain that my make up will not box me into my comfort zone. I need to know that I’m not using it to be “pretty” again. I need to root myself into these values so I can teach my one-day daughter that beauty is not found in a tube of lipstick. 

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May my daughter feel most free in her pink tutu and bare feet.

  

May my daughter feel strongest with the dirt underneath her fingernails.

May my daughter feel most gorgeous when she’s laughing.

May my daughter know that beauty is in living. 

And my strongest hope? 

May my daughter never even realize that society defines beauty by appearance.