To Whom It May Concern: You Rock
If you’ve been living under a rock, you may not have heard about Caitlin’s Operation Beautiful campaign and book
Here’s the deal: People write meaningful things like “You’re beautiful no matter what” or “Hey, hot stuff” or whatever on Post-it notes. Then they go stick them all over the place for girls to see and smile about. And, no , I’m not talking about an Operation Beautiful note on the inside of a toilet stall (for a good time, call … www.operationbeautiful.com?) but more like a Post-it on the mirror. Sometimes they deface public property with uplifting sayings, which is OK because usually it’s already been defaced, and the words those people scribble on aren’t always so nice.
Anyhow, when Miz talked about the book the other day she mentioned that she likes to leave behind words she’d hope to hear. She asked what random note of kindness we’d like to see. And that got me thinking. One day I hope to randomly see a Post-it that says, “You rock—no matter what.”
Here’s why.
Let’s say you have terrible knees that hate you with every ounce of cartilage in them. Pretend you can’t do much at the gym because said knees will make you pay for it later on. It’s all pain all the time, which isn’t as fun as it sounds. Anyhow, since you were once majorly active you start feeling like crap, what with the severe lack of exercise and all.
You know how exercise can make you feel better about yourself? Yeah, well it works the other way, too, friends. Lack of exercise and movement in general can make you feel like a waste of space whose only purpose in life is to create a solid couch cushion dent.
But then one day you walk into a public bathroom at Panera or somewhere and you see a pink Post-it that says, “You rock—not matter what.” And then you start thinking, maybe you do rock. Maybe you rock more than you’ve been giving your stupid, weak, noncompliant body credit for and—goshdernit—a pair of faulty knees aren’t going to stop you.
That’s why I love the whole Operation Beautiful idea. It’s not even just about weight. Because we all have something we feel like absolute crap about. And once in a while it’s nice to hear from a stranger that you’re not a freak; you’re beautiful just the way you are.
What makes you beautiful no matter what?
Also: I get how strange it must seem to remind you that you can still enter my Totally Awesome Beauty Product Giveaway while talking about Operation Beautiful, but you know what? I think it’s OK to love beauty products while at the same time appreciating yourself for who you are. There, I said it.
29 comments
I love this post
I totally agree that lack of exercise can make one feel like a lazy no good lump lol…
I rock because of my ability to always bounce back!
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What an incredible concept. I love this. My mom randomly posts inspirational post-its on the mirrors at home. I love looking at them when I come home from school. I’m going to start doing this in random places. Maybe random places in London.
Anyone with a smile is beautiful. Smiles are beautiful.
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I love the idea of Operation Beautiful! This book is going to help so many!
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Oh, by the way….
You. Are. Beautiful.
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Tracey Reply:
August 4th, 2010 at 8:39 am
You’re sweet. And…
You. Are. Beautiful, too.
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I feel so lazy lately, despite the fact that I ran for the first time this morning. I feel like I’ve gained too much weight in a short amount of time… I need an OB note
Wei Wei
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Tracey Reply:
August 4th, 2010 at 10:37 am
You’re not lazy … you’re amazing just the way you are!
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I adore this post! I think your intro of Caitlin’s book and the importance of it is so true.
Your imperfections make you perfect and YOU.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Janet Zimmerman, Tracey Neithercott. Tracey Neithercott said: New Post! To whom it may concern: You Rock http://bit.ly/dbAfDM #operationbeautiful [...]
No matter what, I will always be beautiful because I am a hard-working independent woman who is capable of achieving anything!
No outside forces can ever change that.
Thank you for this inspirational post.
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I agree about exercise, good post
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Your post kind of had me tearing up because I so get the feeling like crap because of the exercise limitations. I was running 40 miles a week and one herniated disc and 2 bad knees later and I am stuck with power walking. My thighs that I once felt were strong now scare me with their jiggliness.
So today, I am going to try and replace the negative thigh stream in my head with the following: I rock even with jiggly thighs because there is a lot more too me than just that one part.
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Great post Tracey! I agree that being beautiful is more than just about weight…my hangups have very little to do with the number on my scale. And yet they are still there nagging at me!
In any case, you do rock. You are gorgeous and I’ve seen you in person so I can say that with 100% confidence. You have beautiful hair and that east coast skin that I am so jealous of. But more than that you are just a nice, kind person, and I thank you for that.
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I really love Operation Beautiful! I think it feels good just to write a note and leave it somewhere. I did it once, and I hoped that someone who really needed it would find it and hopefully feel a bit better about themselves. I hate that there are so many messages in the media that tell us we are not good enough. “Lose 8 pounds by Sunday with this trick, because no one will love you if you’re carrying extra pounds”. “Try our super diet pills because you’ll be ugly and unworthy without them”. And no, it doesn’t always have to do with weight….there are a lot of things that people feel insecure about and they may be perpetuated by the media, or they may stem from internal pressure. A lot of women tend to tear each other apart as well. I know that I’ve been criticized by other women and received back handed compliments, and I imagine that we all have experienced this negativity at some point. Insecure women (and also men) feel a need to bring other people down in order to feel better about themselves. That’s what I love about OB- it is about helping other people and letting everyone come together instead of bringing each other down.
PS: You rock no matter what!
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Tracey Reply:
August 4th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Those were really great insights!
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Operation Beautiful is such a noble endeavor and I love that bloggers like you are singing it’s praises.
Ditto to the above. YOU ROCK!
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What a wonderful way to put it! I am a first time visitor to your blog! It’s great! My compassion for others is what makes me beautiful no matter what! Of this I am sure!
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Tracey Reply:
August 4th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
I’m sure of that, too. It’s a trait so many lack. So glad you found my blog!
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Great post! I love the idea of Operation Beautiful– and that a random post-it note can totally make someone else’s day!
As hard as I’ve been on it through the years, I really appreciate my body for putting up with EVERYTHING I’ve put it through! I’ve even found the positive in my experience– because I suffered from disordered eating and body image, I’ve grown into a much healthier person than I might have been otherwise! And I find that my optimism makes me beautiful no matter what.
PS– You rock!
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I love this post and the fact that you are spreading the word about Operation Beautiful. I have not left sticky notes around in public places but what I do instead is to find something good about someone and tell them. It might be someone random I pass by in the grocery store, a store clerk or the guy who dries off my car at the hand car wash. You should see their face light up and the big smile I get when I compliment them. It makes me feel so good.
What makes me beautiful no matter what? I am alive, living life to the best of my ability, I am a mom, wife, daughter, sister and a woman on a mission to be the best me I can be!
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You do rock! I love the concept of Operation Beautiful. I would love to see a post-it note one day just for me!
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love this post!!! thank you for giving us your take on the operation beautiful revolution
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I love that about OB too. I love that it can affect people in so many different ways and in such unexpected manners.
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OB is great! Such an important message to share!
And yes you rock!
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Wow, I totally was hiding under a rock, because I hadn’t heard about this yet. Ha, ha. But love the idea!!
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Operation Beautiful is such a simple idea that I hope spreads around the globe like wildfire!
p.s. Sleep makes me beautiful…or at least I do it beautifully.
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Operation Beautiful and all of you bloggettes are a constant source of inspiration to me! My smile is beautiful, no matter what. my perseverance is beautiful no matter what.
we are all so gosh-darned gorgeous!!
have a lovely day.
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This is such a great post Tracey! Seriously, your writing is amazing. I’ve read Caitlin’s blog recently but still wasn’t entirely up to speed on the whole “deal” with OB. It is inspirational that’s for sure…
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oh my, thanks for this post…that blurb about “waste of space”…yes,,,it is intense and i feel to the point of tears every day.
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