“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is beauty? What does it mean to you? When do you feel beautiful?
Though I’m a big fan of getting gussied up on occasion, even my most “glam” days in the fashion industry can’t compare to the beauty I feel now. (No makeup required for this kind of beauty. See??? ;))
The Em-meister, as I like to call him, was right. Beauty isn’t something we can buy, apply, chase after, whittle ourselves down for or attract. It’s within each of us and grows when we seek, accept and embrace it.
If you’re so inclined, visit my blog this Friday, February 10th to participate in the Beauty of a Woman BlogFest. Tour the links to over thirty fantastic blog pieces, composed by some of the most talented writers in the blogosphere. Then post a comment on my page for a chance to win a Kindle Touch, gift cards, books and more.
For additional chances at prizes, promote the fest via Twitter, Facebook and/or your blog. For each promotional shout out (between now and Friday) and comment (on Friday), your name will be entered into the prize drawing, for a maximum of 4 chances. For 2 more chances, enter the fest as a blogger. (Today is the last day for signups.)
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” —Maya Angelou
Hope you’ll spread your wings and party with us! Any questions, drop me a note.
Mine is all teed up and ready to post! It is a humorous look at the battle with beauty. (pun intended) I can’t wait to read the others…
Thanks for hosting this event August!
Awesome! Can’t wait to read it.
Very excited about this!!! Going to be a celebration of beauty wrapped up in blog love! Can’t wait.
Aw… Well said, Ginger! It will be, thanks to you all.
Sounds great, I’ll wave from the side-lines.
I’ll definitely visit sites on the tour, August.
I’ve got another post teed up for Friday, but would have LOVED to participate had I been wise to enough to check your site earlier.
The readers/visitors are just as important as the posters. Thanks in advance for the cheerleading, ladies! Good chance it will happen again next year.
Have mine ready to go too! This is going to be great, can’t wait to read everyone’s postings.
Mine is scheduled and ready to go, August. Can’t wait to read all the wonderful posts.
I can’t wait for Friday’s post and to visit all the blogs…squeeee…gonna rock!!!!
You are a beautiful woman, August. And yes, we don’t need makeup or fancy clothes to feel beautiful. It’s all about maturity and attitude. Of course stilettos help but I also like my fuzzy slippers
Awesome idea with the blogfest. I can’t participate although I would love to. But I will visit the blogs, read and comment!
Hi I’m a guy. but I like a challenge. Can I post in your Friday festival? I can’t speak first hand about being beautiful. I’m a guy so you know how it is with us. Beauty is her job. If it takes me more than ten minutes to get showered and dressed for the party I’m going to pissed that my world has been disrupted. I’m civilized so I wear nice cufflinks and i combed my hair what more do you want? Us guys were born guys so it makes no sense trying to be beautiful.I have some 2nd party ideas about it. I see ladies doing things to be “beautiful” and some times they seem self destructive to me.
You’re welcome to join us. The fest is open to all, and all interpretations of ‘beauty.’ I’d love more male perspectives.
Check out details by clicking the BOAW tab at the top of this page. Thanks for your interest!
I once heard someone say of my mother “Mary could wear a potato sack and look beautiful and graceful.” While a child never sees their mother in that light it is a fond memory that I have.
Hi August, I’m all cued up and ready to go for tomorrow. I’m re-doing a people watching post I did some time ago. It clearly demonstrates the power of a beautiful woman and where that true beauty comes from. I thought of you as I wrote it. I can see you in this situation.
Bless, Pru
Can’t wait!
Great idea, August! I’ll be bopping around visiting all the blogs!
Great idea August! I agree that beauty comes from within. It is not pretty but something much more special.
Sounds great! I have to admit I have beauty and perfection all tied up in one messy knot when it comes to myself. I keep hoping for acceptance.
Love it! And you are so frikkin gorgeous without makeup. I’ll look into the blogfest, August and even if I don’t post, I’ll get around to all the blogs and support everyone!
Y’all are amazing! Thanks for your support, whether you post, cheer from the sidelines or both—all means so much.
I just rewrote my entire post entirely…lol. How cute are you in that picture???
I’m so happy you announced this for Friday, August. Was afraid I’d missed it! Looking forward to participating.
I’m so looking forward to Friday, August. I love the poem on your Beauty of Women page. Uplifting and encouraging.
I’m so glad you posted this! I think I have it figured out now. Mine is almost ready to go.
Very excited! My posts are ready and scheduled to go live tomorrow!
You have got to be so busy putting this together August. I know that it will be a great success. I will be so busy popping back and forth to read everyone’s wonderful blogs. I am looking forward to Friday. It’s going to be busy! Have fun!
Thanks, Karen! Busy in a happy, beautiful way. Looking forward to fest-ing with you tomorrow.
I love this idea! Is it too late to join in?
I just saw that yesterday was the last day to join in. But do you mind if I still use this idea for a blog post today? I’ve read a few of the posts for this blog post and am blown away by the beauty of each woman and the beauty of their words. I’ve followed every single blog I read. I think this is so wonderful because, I think, more often than not, it’s easy as a woman to feel…gross. In a lot of different ways. Thank you so much for this post, this blog fest, and your words of beauty. You are beautiful.
I’d be honored and thrilled, April! Thanks so much for your warm words. I’ve been blown away by the participants’ stories as they roll in, too.
You have such gorgeous skin! Love what you’re doing here and Friday–yay! Celebrate! Winter is always hard for me to feel beautiful. It’s the see-through skin. Oh well!
Thanks so much, Jill. And trust me, I have the translucent skin, too—worse in MN than it is here in Cali. I so appreciate your support! Hope the fest helps you feel as beautiful as you are.
I’m so excited for this I just put up my post :0)
I’m reading some of the posts being put up today by writers on their blogs. I’m loving them. A wonderful idea August. I can’t wait to read more tomorrow. Have a wonderful day!
I read this yesterday. Thought you looked beautiful in the picture and though I commented then. I swear my mind is turning to mush. So excited for all the beauty spreading around the cyberworld today.
Oooooh! I can’t wait for the party!
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Found your blog via Coleen Patrick. I love the theme of this celebration. So far I’ve read her blog post (most excellent) and I look forward to visiting some of the other writers’ blogs too.
Am tweeting about this again … hoping more will join the celebration!
With all due respect, August – to you and my wife- you are a natural KNOCKOUT!
Seriously.
What is beauty? Is it anything?
It is everything. Beauty is the esthetically pleasing, it is the lovely. Aristotle wrote: “Beauty depends on size as well as symmetry” (ahem, ahem).
Beauty is symmetry. Beauty is congruence. It is the bah-bah in black sheep. Beauty is not, finally, inexplicable, but it is elusive.
Darwin noted that a streak of stew in a man’s beard is not beautiful, but he pointed out also — and sagely so — that neither the soup nor the beard is inherently non-beautiful.
Beauty requires, among other things, that sensory data bring with it a very specific kind of emotional pleasure — one which awakens “the contemplative in man,” as someone said — such as you might feel, for instance, when you see the Northern Lights, or hear a profound song. Beauty even encompasses melancholy.
Said Oscar Wilde.
Happy Valentine’s Day.