once, while in a public restroom, i witnessed two women standing at the mirror. their self-criticism was enormous. 'my thighs are too big' 'i wish my nose were smaller', 'my boobs are too small'... they went on and on, until finally i couldn't help myself. i said "stop it! you are beautiful! can't you see how beautiful you are?"

sometimes, when I encounter someone who is being rude, or mean, or perhaps just not very spiritually evolved - i imagine them as a baby in their mother's arms. when i see them this way, i embrace the beauty of their innocent soul before life on planet earth tainted the truth of their being. this is the essence of who we were and could strive to become.

when someone fails to perceive your beauty, do not allow their blindness to become your infirmity.

the point of adorning ourselves should be to enable us to recapture self-acceptance: to be a tangible connection to self-love. it should not be a measuring stick to agonize over where we've missed the mark - not a beat-up for falling short of perfection (whatever that is).

so, i do my best to create beauty. it is what makes my soul sing. and i include a special empowering affirmation inside each bag in an effort to help women. i like to imagine that a woman will open her bag, maybe at a mirror in a public restroom, and be reminded of her own unique, innate beauty. and maybe she'll even be prompted to think of some positive affirmations of her own.