What makes someone beautiful? That conversation is changing, thanks in no small part to women who are speaking up and using their unique voices to say: Out with the standard ideals of beauty and in with something more inclusive, diverse, daring and stereotype-defying.
At Sakara Life, we talk a lot about beauty; what it means, how it's cultivated, and the role that food plays in the creation of beauty. We're eager to know what real women from all walks of life think beautiful looks like, and how they find beauty in the world around them. So with that in mind, we asked a few ladies who inspire and motivate us to redefine the word "beauty." Here's what they had to say.
TK Quann, Music Artist / Writer - @TK_Wonder
"Sometimes we are inundated by so called archetypal examples of beauty whether it be magazines, media or those around us who are convinced there is a standard. The idea that beauty has a standard is archaic in nature because true beauty encompasses many facets. Beauty is diverse. Beauty is like art. When you see a great piece of artwork the most impressive thing I think about it is how it resonates with people in various ways. How that artwork evokes completely different feelings depending who is looking at it. How the meaning of art is much more than what is on the canvas. Many people have a great canvas and some think that is the meaning of beauty. However it is what you feel and see beyond that canvas that makes one truly beautiful."
Whitney Tingle, Co-Founder of Sakara Life - @WhitneyTingle
"Beauty is an energy. It's something that comes from a vibration in your cells and shines out to those around you. True beauty comes from a clean body, clean mind and pure heart. That may sound esoteric, but it's what I have found to be true. When you take care of your body (inside and out), treat yourself and those around you with love and gratitude, it has an actual shift on your outward appearance. Lines on your forehead start to relax, color returns to your cheeks, and a glow appears from head to toe. Maybe it's phytonutrients-- maybe it's love. Maybe it's both. But it's real. And it's beautiful :)"
Phoebe Lovatt, founder of The WW Club - @PhoebeLovatt
"Pretty' is a word I use less than I used to - these days I guess I favor stronger words like 'powerful' or 'beautiful' in its place. That said, it's an important concept to bear in mind when it comes to the food you put on your plate and in your body. Meals that look vibrant and colorful tend to make me feel the same way. If my food isn't pretty, it's probably not doing me much good, so eating pretty is a very sound nutritional approach!"
Dr. Aviva Romm, MD, Herbalist, Midwife - @AvivaRomm
"Beauty means finding our own freedom in expressing our unique perfectly imperfect quirky fantastic selves. It’s being a pure manifestation of who we are on the inside, rather than dressing ourselves up physically, emotionally, even spiritually to be what we think others approve of. It’s being the full expression of what makes US feel good to be. It’s about bringing our inner light out for the world to see, uninhibited. And of course it’s about the radiant beautiful health that comes from a life well-lived and a body well-loved with healthy food, good sleep, grace, caring, and humor."
Danielle DuBoise, co-founder of Sakara Life - @DanielleDuBoise
"To me pretty means finding ways to let your light shine the brightest. There are so many layers and curtains that can get in the way and dull our inner beauty-- feeling tired, stressed, anxious, deprived, nervous. Feeling pretty means one by one, we're shedding the layers that keep us from expressing our truest selves and releasing the ideas or thoughts that are holding us back. And for me, food is the #1 contributor to helping me shed the layers and quiet the voices that are keeping me from being my best and brightest."
Cipriana Quann, co-founder and editor of Urban Bush Babes - @CiprianaQuann
"Beauty to me are the struggles of life, it is most often the hardships of our journey where we break free from our cocoons and transform for the better."
Jennifer Fisher, founder and designer of Jennifer Fisher Jewelry - @JenniferFisherJewelry
"Beauty is truly being yourself. 24/7. Daily. Authenticity is beauty. Love yourself, respect others, spread kindness and empathy. Teach your children to do the same. Be yourself. Be beautiful. It's easier. And your body feels the difference."
Shiva Rose, founder of The Local Rose - @LocalRose
"Beauty to me is about feeling alive and vital which comes from a connection to the source of all things. This is a better connection when we are nourishing our bodies, our temples, with clean, pure, unprocessed foods which will feed our skin, hair and spirits with bright energy."
