BEAUTY BUZZ & BLOG BIZ | AUTHENTICITY
Editor’s Note:
Beauty Buzz & Blog Biz is a new section on Bold Blind Beauty that we are still developing. Stay tuned for more details. ~Steph
Authenticity | The Heart of Beauty
Yesterday morning I received a message that touched me so deeply I asked the author if I could share it and they said “yes.” What I like most about this piece is that it gets to the heart of Bold Blind Beauty’s ‘WHY.’
Real Beauty Transcends Barriers
~Bold Blind Beauty
“Every time I listen to your message, I find new bits of wisdom and inspiration.
We went to visit my brother’s girlfriend, a lovely lady who has had enormous health problems in the past five years. I remembered her daughter as a striking young woman from many years earlier. But over the years, she got involved with heroin.
She has now been off it for six months. That she went this route has always made me sad. I grieved for her, in fact. Today she has low self-esteem. She was embarrassed to be seen without her teeth. I thought of your video, and I realized she and I are more alike than different. We’ve had to redefine beauty, and our self-esteem. But we are the same person inside.
She mentioned how judgmental her sister is of her. I wanted to hug her and say how beautiful she was with or without her own teeth. And the words from your video came to me, “But when we are out there living our lives, we are bold. We are embracing our blindness. We are blind and we are beautiful. We’re beautiful because we are out there doing that, living our lives.” It’s just so profound. You can insert any word for “blind” (like recovering addict).
This woman is out there living her life, trying to overcome and be her best self. She comes up against prejudice, preconceived ideas, judgment and she has to develop self-love all over again.
Again, your words speak truth. “I would just like to change the perception of how we view people. Period. I would just like to see a more inclusive world for everyone, and accept people as we really are, stripping away the outside and getting to the heart of who we are a people.”
When I thought of myself and my fears (and the fears I still have), they are strong, and yes, bold, words. But when I think of this young woman, I feel the same — that she needs to begin to love herself exactly where she is at. She didn’t die of an overdose. She brings her mother great joy. I celebrate who she is, her dreams of becoming her best self in the journey ahead. I think I will share your video with her with a letter with my thoughts.
Today is a day of gratitude, and love expressed. I think my strength is loving others and helping them to gain confidence in themselves. But it is through the words of others like you, who express so well the desire for change, and who are battling their fears openly that shape my outreach. That video will speak to many in so many ways. You have such a beautiful heart.”
The video she mentioned in the narrative has been previously shared but I’ve included it here for easy reference. In place of audio description I’ve provided a summary of the video below.
Video Summary:
First scene opens with Stephanae sitting at her desk in front of her 32-inch monitor working out on the keyboard. She’s wearing a gray short sleeve tee, her head is clean-shaven and she is not wearing any makeup.
The camera pans to a blurred close-up of an acrylic makeup organizer with assorted lipsticks, brushes, pencils, etc. Stephanae slowly twists a lipstick then inserts a dangling wire earring into her right ear. The camera focuses in on the delicate lacy silver leaf earring.
In the next scene, Stephanae is at her desk talking about the moment she first lost her sight while pointing to her left eye.
The camera is focusing on assorted jewelry hanging on a necklace tree while Stephanae’s hand touches one of her favorite statement necklaces. In slow motion, the camera shows her sliding a blue floral glass ring on her right ring finger.
Panning to the keyboard and monitor the camera picks up the magnified content on the screen as Stephanae scrolls through Bold Blind Beauty’s website. The camera zooms out to show Stephanae working.
In the bathroom scene, Stephanae is at the sink cleansing her face and putting on her makeup. She uses plastic eyebrow stencils to draw her eyebrows and a thin liner crayon/pencil to line her eyes. The finishing touches include mascara and a dark gray ballcap.
Back at the desk, Stephanae is talking about how vulnerable she feels when she is in an unfamiliar environment. While talking with her hands she gets a little emotional and her voice cracks as she shares what this fear is like.
Outside, Stephanae is getting into her son’s car and we’re headed to a nearby mall. She’s wearing a gray and black raglan shirt, with black capris, ballcap, sneakers, and sunglasses. The next few scenes are taken from inside the car, in a department store with Stephanae walking with her ‘black’ white cane towards and away from the camera, and, looking at items on clothing racks.
In her dining area, Stephanae is opening boxes of Bold Blind Beauty coffee mugs. All of the mugs have Abby (Bold Blind Beauty’s fashion icon) along with a cute saying i.e. “Hey I’m walkin’ Here!” “Relax It’s Only A Cane!” “Blind Chicks With Attitude!”
Closeup of Stephanae sharing her wish for a more inclusive world. “Stripping away the outside and getting to the heart of who we are as people.”
Beauty Buzz & Blog Biz Header Image Description:
The background is half gray and the other half is a photo of a home office. On the gray half is “Beauty Buzz” in white text with a colorful bumblebee at the end of the word. White text on the photo says “Blog Biz.”