The other day I heard someone say, “Strong is the new pretty.”  I really hope my young daughter’s generation embraces that thought.  That beauty is so much more than a photoshopped image, a dress size, a name brand or a number on a scale.

Beauty is confidence.  Passion.  Empathy.  Kindness.  Bravery.  Strength.

Beauty is being someone who lifts others up.  Who validates the unique journey of each person they meet.  All while letting their own true self shine through.

As Coco Chanel once said, “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.”  Because there is only one you.  And you have so much to offer the world.

May our young girls always remember that their strength is their beauty.  Their strength in standing up for what they believe in.  In helping those in need.  In persevering to make a difference.  In getting up when they fall.  And although life can be tough, the strength they have inside will get them through.  As Ernest Hemingway once said, “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”

Embrace that strength.  It is what makes you beautiful.