By Michelle Phillips, celebrity makeup artist
For many of us, what keeps us from feeling beautiful has nothing to do with what is actually in the mirror. It’s how we feel about ourselves. And how we feel can be a product of negative self-talk that we hear and that tell us, “I’m not good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, or even rich enough!”
The question is; Where does this self-talk come from? While it might be from someone outside of us that we were allowed to get into our heads, more often it comes from years of programming from a variety of places that might contain images that we see in the media, our upbringing, friends, or family members. It is debilitating to base our own self-esteem on others rather than on the strengths within ourselves.
As a prominent makeup artist and stylist, I know the truth about how the facade of the perfection of the “perfect” images you see in the media is created and my dear friend, plus size supermodel, Emme. You may know her from magazines, as a positive body image and self-esteem advocate, author and sought-after national lecturer, or appearances on Oprah, the Today Show, CNN, and many others. She did it all and was voted one of the “Most Beautiful People” in People magazine. During our careers we have learned many lessons about what beauty should mean to each of us and what is really important and how we can focus on it. More information about my interview with Emme can be found below.