Caitlin & Operation Beautiful Takeover UF

Last night I had the amazing opportunity to attend Caitlin’s presentation on Operation Beautiful at the University of Florida. Now I know Caitlin is a Miami Hurricane fan, so I really want to thank her for stepping into Gator country to speak to us!

As soon as I saw Caitlin, I literally about had a heart attack (that is probably super nerdy but oh well). I’ve never met a celebrity before! At the event I also met up with the wonderful Jenny from Exercise and Eat which was very exciting. In high school, Jenny and I used to hostess together at a Mexican restaurant. It’s really neat for us to catch up!

Caitlin began the presentation with a slide show of inspiring notes that individuals all over the world submitted to the Operation Beautiful campaign. It’s always interesting to see the clever sayings and random places where people post their notes. What I love about Operation Beautiful is that its message doesn’t only relate to women; men also feel society’s intense pressure to stay healthy and fit.

Next, Caitlin went on to share her personal story about how Operation Beautiful came into existence. One day the “Fat Talk,” that I know many of us girls have trouble with, began creeping into her head. To stop these negative thoughts, she posted one tiny note to her mirror at home that read, “You are beautiful.” In one of her blog posts she shared this note to her readers and ever since then, thousands of individuals all over the world have posted inspiring notes on every thing from bathroom stalls to park benches. Pretty amazing stuff!

As a group, we discussed the extremities of photo shopping, vanity sizing, and how more than ever, young teens are falling into the media’s trap that thin is in. Caitlin showed us different examples of already gorgeous celebrities who for some crazy reason, were photoshopped. Cameron Diaz and Kim Kardashian were two celebrities that stood out the most to me. Can you believe they added dimples to Cameron’s cheeks?

Overall, I’m so thankful I was able to attend this event! It’s amazing what a group discussion on “Fat Talk” can do for ones self esteem. I think we all agreed that it just isn’t healthy to have these extremely negative thoughts overpowering our daily decisions. Caitlin summed it up perfectly when she said, “It’s not about your weight, it’s about who you are on the inside.” Life is too short to worry about a few calories or the size of your jeans! My mom always tells me that as long as you’re happy and healthy, that’s all that truly matters in life–and I absolutely agree.

After I got home from the event, the first thing I did was march up stairs, scramble through my desk drawer for a purple Post-It Note, and create my own Operation Beautiful note. For all of you Gator or non-Gator fans out there, I’m sorry but I couldn’t resist.

For more information on the Operation Beautiful presentation, checkout this article that was featured today in our local newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator.

Thank you again Caitlin for coming to our school!

Have you posted an Operation Beautiful note? If not, I encourage you all to make one and help spread the positive vibes!