On March 8, 2018, people all over the world celebrated International Women's Day. I myself, have to admit that I've never paid much attention to International Women's Day in the past. While I am absolutely an advocate for "Girl Power" and it is my company's mission to inspire confidence in women; I never really considered myself to be the type of person that goes to rallies, publically posts thoughts on political statements, or share my beliefs with anyone that is not in my very small inner circle. Perhaps this is partially why I did not connect with any of the IWD celebrations in prior years.
It wasn't until I was invited to participate in West Elm's International Women's Day celebration, that I did gain an appreciation for what the day really represents. West Elm stores across the county do an amazing job of honoring women through this celebrations. Each store had the opportunity to celebrate in any way they wished and the Portland, Maine store wanted to celebrate Maine women entrepreneurs by spotlighting their products at their store. I was honored to even be considered and being part of such an event helped to gain an appreciation for what this day truly represents. For me IWD is not about a power struggle, but rather a celebration of strength. It's about celebrating the beauty women bring to the world, celebrating our unique qualities, connecting with and empowering one another, and showing the world what #ConfidentNaturalBeauty looks like in action.
I believe in celebrating women every day but IWD gives us all a chance to not only look forward, but to also pause and reflect on what the women of past generations have done to pave the path that we walk on today. It reminds me that my generation's actions are paving the way for future generations, as my grandmother's and mother's generation did for mine. That's why I so firmly believe in self-confidence and self-love - the true mission behind True North Beauty. When we are confident, we love ourselves and live a very different life. We no longer feel victimized by circumstances but rather that confidence we have helps us to direct our energy to personally change our situation. This leads to us building each other up, being kind to one another, supporting and promoting the success of other women every day, and helping one another. Confident women inspire confidence in other women and we recognize that the next generation is watching us, learning from us, and looking to us for support as they forge their own path. Starting True North Beauty really helped me to connect with so many of those women and has allowed me to work with them and support them on a professional and personal level. This is why IWD is now so exciting to me. It has taken on a whole new meaning since I started this company and I can't wait to see what future generations will do to continue helping each other!
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