What are some ways we can help others feel beautiful?

SoulPancake partnered with Darling Magazine to host a series of conversations about issues women face on a daily basis. Their first one, published one year ago, but still relevant today, deals with beauty and body image and also asks, “When do you feel the most beautiful?”

One woman talked about how difficult it is to maintain a healthy self-image when looking at social media. “Of course everyone posts their most beautiful photo, because you want to put your best face forward,” she said.

Other comments, “It’s natural to compare yourself to other people,” adding that the key is knowing the difference between something you want versus something you need.

“Bettering yourself is great if it’s done in an honest, healthy and loving way,” one woman says.

Another says, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” a saying she uses to give her emotions a check.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the video are the statistics about young women and the ages in which their self-image begins to get damaged, sometimes plunging them into unhealthy habits and eating disorders. They cite:

85% of girls ages 8-10 think they’re “overweight”
45% of those have begun dieting
In the last decade, the number of girls under age 10 hospitalized for eating disorders has doubled.

The women talk about the ages in which they first felt inadequate physically. Most point toward early adolescent years.

At Help-Portrait events, we often hear and experience stories in which women feel beautiful sometimes for the first time in their lives. Some of them have never had their makeup done. Thanks to hair and makeup professionals and receiving a professional portrait from photographers, they have a physical token that reminds them of their beauty.

Let this video and conversation serve as a reminder that every guest we serve at events deserve to feel beautiful inside and out.