“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”

Years ago, I was having a conversation with a girlfriend, and she asked me a question, that kind of alarmed me. I’d never been asked this question before, nor has the thought ever entered my mind. She said to me, “If you were to look like any celebrity at all, who would you choose to look like?”. The first thing that came to mind was absolutely nothing. My mind was blank. Though I know my exterior is not perfect in any way, shape, or form, I realized that I had the thought of wanting to look like someone else. Finally, after thoroughly doing a mental Google search, I responded, “Well, I guess Liv Tyler?”. Her response was, “Really??”—as if that was a strange answer to give. She then said to me, “If I had to choose, it would definitely be Natalie Portman or Keira Kneightley. I’m obsessed with their features and bone structure.”. I was kind of floored. To want to look entirely like someone else? It made me feel sad.

This conversation stuck with me for years. Is this what society had become? Have we become so fixated on celebrities, that we start to tear apart our own features because they don’t match up? First of all, I want to say that I am not against plastic surgery. I believe you should do what makes you happy—we only live once. A tweak here, a tweak there—whatever makes you feel good about yourself. Even I nitpick at myself here and there, but it’s never too serious. I forget about it in an instant. However, this conversation made me really take a step back and think of all the young girls out there today, obsessing over celebrities, with a standard of beauty that is entirely unattainable because of the deep insecurities that they have with themselves. Whether it’s the upbringing that they experienced, or the societal pressures, the thought definitely is sad to me.

When I started Dolly Pearl, I vowed that one day in the future, I would integrate my brand with women’s issues. After over a year of being in business, I have it figured out—thanks to a little conversation that I had a few years ago with a friend. My goal is to create an online community that reaches out to young girls and focuses on creating positive body images and self esteem. I firmly believe that instilling these values in girls at a young age will really help to build a strong foundation for a positive and uplifting future. I’m still in the process of brainstorming, but it is so important to me that girls value themselves in order to enrich their careers, their body image, and their relationships. I want to girls to learn how to increase self confidence and overcome insecurities.

So there you have it! I’m very excited about this future project, and even if I just reach one girl, it would mean everything in the world to me. Stay tuned for details ♥