This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending my first ever Blogalicious Conference Weekend! This is a weekend where creatives and influencers meet to learn, grow, and celebrate diversity in the digital medium. I had no idea what to expect, but after seeing the schedule I was excited by one topic in particular.
On Friday morning, we were in for treat which included a special presentation by Dove® with keynote speaker, Luvvie Ajayi. Luvvie was also joined by Dre Brown (Makeup Artist/Stylist/Writer/Entrepreneur), Marie Denee (Founder of The Curvy Fashionista), and Claudia Krusch (Founder of Trendy Latinas) for a panel discussion on how to #SpeakBeautiful in a digital world, and how social media can positively or negatively affect our girls’ presence online.
I have been a huge fan of Luvvie on social media for years now due to her witty comebacks, transparent humor, and dope shoes. Luvvie is the New York Times best-selling author of I’m Judging You: The Do Better Manual, which I’m reading now. Pure hilarity! But so needed!
She’s also the creator of Awesomely Luvvie a blog dedicated to “serve pop culture tea” in THE MOST humorous way possible. Not even kidding! In addition, Luvvie is the founder of the The Red Pump Project®, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls.
Luvvie and I after the #SpeakBeautiful session at her book signing. You know I was going to say something negative about me sticking my tongue out (which happens when I get really excited), but instead I’m going to #SpeakBeautiful and say…our melanin is POPPIN’!
She was perfect for this discussion as she lightened the mood regarding topics such as self-esteem and building confidence online when it comes to women and girls.
I always think about how different my self-esteem would be today if I grew up in this digital generation where social media is “bond”. It would have been a heck of a lot different, right? All of the comparisons, the need for acceptance, the desire to fit into the mold of “standard beauty” of what honestly, truly *Joanne the Scammer voice*…filters and software programs can create. I love that through Dove’s #SpeakBeautiful Campaign— instead of focusing on the negative, we can use social media for good!
Dove wants women and girls everywhere to understand that their online words matter, and it only takes one tweet to ignite a positive trend. | Read more.
DID YOU KNOW?
- 72% of girls encounter negativity on social media WEEKLY.
- 82% of women feel beauty standards set by social media are unrealistic.
- Women today are 50% more likely to say something negative about themselves, than positive, on social media.
- 52% of girls think online negativity damages their confidence.
- 8 out of 10 women encounter negative comments on social media that critique women’s looks
- 4 out of every 5 negative tweets Twitter identified about beauty and body image are women talking about themselves
In the past, I have been guilty of taking 100 selfies because I couldn’t find one good enough, even though they ALL were. I’ve totally gotten better at this. Or I’ve put something out in the Twittaverse just because in that moment that’s how I felt…so I get it! But why am I putting negative words about myself into the Universe? Do I really believe that? Heck no!
THE GIRLS ARE WATCHING US!
Ideas and opinions about body image are now fluidly shared every second through social feeds, and sometimes we do not fully realize the resounding impact of the words in even one post. —Jennifer Bremner, Dove’s Director of Marketing
[Tweet “Every day we’re quantifying who we are as people…that’s harmful. @luvvie #SpeakBeautiful @dove”]
Even Luvvie’s shoes #SpeakBeautiful!
Here are my Favorite Quotes (Takeaways) from Luvvie Ajayi:
Know your core values.
Do not compare.
Go beyond the ‘likes’.
Be gentle with yourself.
If you’re not going to get me free, I don’t care what you think.
I’m not driven by other people’s liking to who I am.
You DO NOT have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyonce.
#SpeakBeautiful
[Tweet “Love yourself like Kanye loves Kanye. @luvvie”]
My favorite quotes from the #SpeakBeautiful Panel:
“They start the day the same way you do.” —Dre Brown (on celebrities and comparison)
“You should be a walking spokesperson for your own inner self.” —Claudia Krusch
“Learn to tell yourself YOU ARE ENOUGH without any qualifications and see how empowering that is.” —Marie Denee
5 Ways To Encourage Girls to #SpeakBeautiful:
- Encourage girls to spend time with life-giving friends who build them up instead of tearing them down.
- Spread positivity by having her share two positive tweets about herself and other girls using the #SpeakBeautiful hashtag, for every negative tweet she’s posted.
- Have her take a stand against cyber-bullying.
- Remind her that when taking a selfie, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Have her to take three selfies, pick one, and share it! Using the #SpeakBeautiful hashtag of course.
- Have her share something positive about herself and tweet it!
Whether you are a woman or girl, YOU ARE ENOUGH! Now let’s repeat that over and over again, until it resonates. #SpeakBeautiful
I am LOVING the positive all through this post! #BlackGirlMagic