A Girl’s Guide to Self-Confidence – Week 4 – Women Who Rock

Have you ever had that one friend who stood up for her beliefs without any regard to what other people might think of her?  What about that girl who went against the grain because she didn’t agree with what everyone else thought was cool?  Or maybe it’s that woman who has been dealt a hand in life that is so complicated and difficult that you don’t know how she keeps her sanity…but she does?  And with grace?

Today we are going to talk about women who rock.  Whether it’s because of a life challenge they have overcome, or a belief they have stood up for, or just an all-around amazing attitude towards life, there are some women who just take confidence and strength to a whole different level.

What is it that makes certain women stand head-and-shoulders above the rest, though?  Let’s look at a few women who I personally think rock, and we’ll check out some of their qualities that we should strive to have as well.

Meet Lizzie:

Lizzie Velasquez is one amazing young woman.  At only 23 years of age, she has penned two books, is a successful motivational speaker, and has appeared on countless talk shows.  To have accomplished those things by the age of 23 is amazing in and of itself, but add to that the fact the she suffers from an extremely rare disease that doesn’t even have a name, and you’ve got one woman who completely rocks my socks!

Lizzie was born with a rare disease that only two other people in the world are known to suffer from, and it’s so rare they have no name, no cure, no treatments…nothing.  Lizzie can’t gain weight, no matter how much she eats.  Her body cannot produce fat.  Due to her disease, Lizzie has total vision loss in one eye, and partial vision loss in the other, yet she smiles this beautifully brilliant smile, holds her head high, and speaks with confidence about her disease and what it truly means to be beautiful.

Lizzie’s positive attitude is contagious.  In this video below, she says something very profound that we could all learn from:  When she gets made fun of, it just makes her set the bar that much higher for herself.  She works that much harder to accomplish her goals.

I want to encourage you to check out Lizzie’s website where you can find links to both of her books, as well as watch several short videos by Lizzie.  She is one seriously strong and confident woman!

Let’s just pretend for a moment that you were an incredibly successful, drop-dead gorgeous model for Victoria’s Secret.  Would you give it up?  Honestly, would you?

Kylie Bisutti did.  She married the man of her dreams and accepted the Lord’s calling for her life by giving up the skimpy lingerie and sexy outfits and focusing on becoming a Proverbs 31 woman.

Let’s back up a few years, shall we?  Kylie grew up in Las Vegas (talk about pressure to perform!) and began modeling at age 8.  She knew from a very young age that she wanted to model for Victoria’s Secret, and in 2009, her dream came true.  Quickly, however, she realized that the skimpy bathing suits, crash diets, and lifestyle of a VS model would take it’s toll, both on her self-image and her faith.{source}

Kylie now lives in Montana with her husband, and helps encourage and empower girls to love themselves despite what the media and their peers say.  She partners with Get REAL inC, a Christian non-profit organization raising awareness and empowering girls across the world.  On her blog, in her book, and in her life, she is very outspoken about her faith, and very open about the struggles she faced in the modeling industry.

Kylie models something you can’t see in magazines – purity, modesty, positive body image, and faith.  It’s so refreshing.

Her name may not be familiar, but she might look familiar to you.  Jennie Runk was recently all over the news because H&M decided to use her to model their swimsuits and she’s (get this) plus-sized!

While Jennie may not look plus-sized, in the fashion industry, she is.  (I am, too, in that case.)  When Jennie saw a spike in Facebook fans after the release of H&M’s swimsuit ad, she jumped at the chance to “make the world a little nicer by promoting confidence”.  {source} 

Jennie is a realist, you might say.  While other girls are trying to be bone thin to maintain a modeling contract, Jennie knew that she would grow and change as she got older.  She accepted her body the way it was, understood that healthy women have hips and curves, and rolled with the punches, even if it meant being classified as “plus-sized”.

“People assume plus equates to fat, which in turn equates to ugly.  This is completely absurd because many women who are considered plus-sized are actually in line with the American average.”  {source} 

For the record, Jennie is 5’10” tall and wears a size 12 or 14.  Hardly what I would consider plus-sized.  (Want to know my measurements?  I’m happy to share, even though I fit in the plus-sized category:  5’8″ tall, 145-150lbs.  I wear anything from a size 6 to 12 depending on the brand and fit.  My bra size is a 34D.  There you go.  You’re welcome.)

There is so much fabulousness in this article Jennie wrote for BBC News, so I encourage you to read it in it’s entirety.  But for now, I’ll leave you with this:

To young girls, Jennie says, “You will grow out of this awkwardness fabulously.  Just focus on being the best possible version of yourself and quit worrying about your thighs, there’s nothing wrong with them.”

Yes, there is more than one this week!  Moms and daughters – do these together, and HAVE FUN!

For every post in this series, click HERE.