“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.” -Sophia Loren
Confidence is beautiful!
A woman that is confident radiates strength, passion and conviction.
A confident woman is not afraid to be herself. She is highly self-aware, knows all aspects of herself and trusts herself.
She knows that she is beautiful just the way she is, regardless of what the media dictates. And she doesn’t need to look her best to be confident.
What is your definition of beauty? Is it the typical definition? The one that society and the media has us believing?
When I began modeling at the age of 15, I defined beauty based on what others thought about me, and how many modeling jobs I would book. If I was consistently working as a model, that meant that people approved of me and that therefore I must be a beautiful person. This type of thinking is very dangerous and destructive because instead of understanding, appreciating and embracing myself and my own definition of beauty, I was placing my level of confidence and self-esteem in the hands of other people and what they thought of me.
Another way that I determined beauty was by association. I was working with very beautiful women who were recognizable and being paid a lot of money. Since they were my friends and I was spending my time in their company, I believed that I was beautiful.
Another way I determined beauty was by my level of success. The more successful I became as a model, the more fashion shows I booked, the more ads I had, the more buses and billboards I was featured on, the more people recognized me. I was invited to fabulous parties and got VIP treatment.
The reality is that although I loved fashion and seeing the newest and latest trends in the industry, I really was not passionate about being a model. A lot of girls in the modeling industry were not the kind of people that I wanted to be associated with or build relationships with outside of work. My Mom always told me: “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll show you who you are.” Those are words I will NEVER forget.
My life at that time was focused on my physical appearance –my height, my weight and my hair, my skin, my clothing and if I was “beautiful enough” to book the next job. Nobody cared if I had a brain –and having an opinion was certainly not appreciated. I remember the very last audition I went out on. Being almost 6’ tall, I was 128lbs, and I was told that I needed to lose weight and lose my muscle mass. I was super athletic, loved to run and be active, yet I still wasn’t enough. I was too flat-chested, too muscular, and not scrawny enough to become really successful in the world of modeling.
In the USA alone, $20 billion is spent annually on cosmetics; $300 million on cosmetic surgery; $33 billion on dietary products. This illustrates how much time and money we spend on our physical appearance. Vanity is not beautiful. Insecurity is not beautiful. It makes it difficult to have and to be a good friend, sister, girlfriend or wife. As an insecure woman, you rely on others and put a lot of expectations on others, to validate you and make you feel good. It is absolutely essential for you to feel good about yourself and know yourself, FIRST –before you can go out there into the world, fall in love with someone else, and expect them to know who you are.
I learned at a young age that how you feel about yourself, and how you carry yourself is ultimately more important than how you look. Many people find other qualities more important than looks. Other qualities like confidence and self-esteem!
It’s really important to note that external beauty has an expiration date. When we are 65 years old, we will all look pretty much the same!
The most beautiful people I know are the people that are beautiful from within. They love themselves and the world around them. Absolute confidence comes from within us, not from outside influences –and THAT is a beautiful thing!
By Suzanne Fetting
Do you carry yourself with confidence? How well you carry yourself and how confident you appear to others will more likely determine how attractive you are and how you will be perceived than most all other aspects of your appearance. Knowing that, I decided that I would put my years of modeling experience to good use. I am utilizing my runway skills and teach classes for women called “High Heel Appeal”… how to walk with confidence in your high heels, and I’ve also filmed an instructional DVD. Check out the making of the DVD and get more info here
It is well worth your while to develop confidence in all areas of your life and become fulfilled and happy.
If you would like to discover your inner beauty and become the confident you, contact me today!