28THCOY BLOG FOR VV

Thank you~

2009-06-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

We've started this blog since late January for the purpose of a GB competition. Over the span of six months, we have gathered more than 2000 views and encouraging comments from all of you. Though the competition is ending within a few days and we have fulfilled all the criteria, we couldn't have done it without all of you. Our first thought was that the main point of this blog was for the competition but we quickly discovered that it is more than that. This is a blog that may have reached out to someone who was feeling down because of his or her appearance, who may have felt angry, sad or even alone. We have learnt a lot about reaching out and talking about self-esteem, learned more about overcoming it and we all hope that you've learned and enjoyed the journey as much as we did. Some of our posts may or may not have helped you, but we still thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving us some of your time to visit this blog.

On behalf of the entire group, I would like to thank YOU for supporting us and we want to wish you good luck on your own journey of self-acceptance :)

- Nadine

2009-06-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here's another song to lift your spirits up :)

Are you beautiful or are you fake?

2009-06-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

If you are truely beautiful you should not have done any of the following, unless medical reasons:
1.PLASTIC SURGERY, to look slimmer
2.COSMETIC SURGERY, remove minor scars or moles to look more attractive
3.NOT BEING HAPPY WITH WHO YOU ARE
4.DIETING, to the extent that you skip meals
5.UNATURAL HAIR, dye or highlight it to be prettier.

So Here Is My Question To You, Are You Beautiful Or Are You Fake?
chireni

2009-06-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

what is inner beauty??
Inner beauty is a concept used to describe the positive aspects of something that is not physically observable. Qualities including kindness, sensitivity, tenderness or compassion.. I feel that a person's true beauty is comes from the inside -beautiful personality which create an outer beauty that can never be taken away. Not physically beautiful, but beautiful in characteristics. True beauty begins in the inside and shines through to the inside!!

-Doreen:)

2009-06-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is a really inspiring song that I wanted to share with everyone. Listen carefully to the lyrics and know that when you think you're all alone during a particular situation, just look inside yourself to pull yourself through with your own strength.

- Nadine.

Mordern - Day Epidemic by John Esherick

2009-05-22T05:53:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wished you could be someone else? have you ever looked into the mirror and thought if only you could be slimmer and prettier than you would be beautiful? It is normal as at times in our lives, we all wish that we cold be someone else instead. But we don't have to feel daily dissatisfaction with our bodies and ourselves. We have to learn how to accept and respect our body despite our shape and size. Although we don't get to choose the genes passed on to us from our parents, however, we get get to choose what real beauty really means to ourselves. This my reflection after reading this book. I shall leave you this for now to reflect. Venus

2009-05-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

HEY EVERYONE SHIREEN HERE! THIS POST IS ABOUTWHAT A KOREAN GIRL THINKS ABOUT BEAUTY HOPE U ENJOY IT!!!

Inner Beauty is the Real Beauty

EunSuk Ji (Jenny) from Korea

When I was young, I read many kinds of books, including fairy tales. Most of the books described heroes who were handsome and heroines who were beautiful. So, I believed I had to be beautiful if I wanted to become a great person. It was a hard time for me. Whenever I looked at someone who was more beautiful than me, I was stressed.

As I grew up, I began to realize outer beauty was not so important to make someone good. I remember a friend of mine who was so beautiful that every classmate wanted to talk with her, but she was very arrogant.

She believed that she could do everything she wanted because she was so beautiful, but she lost friends one by one. My poor friend! But she learned a good lesson: inner beauty is more important than outer beauty. After she learned that, she changed her attitude and made friends again.

In the Korean version of the story Cinderella, there are two stepsisters. One was very beautiful and very kind. Another was very stingy and bad. Because the prince wanted to find the girl with a missing shoe, the prince and the beautiful sister of the two stepsisters got married and lived happily ever after.

In many novels and fairy tales, as in Cinderella, the main characters are usually beautiful or handsome. Beauty is representative of good deeds and kindness.

In our society, beauty also gives us many advantages such as having a good social life, making friends, getting a job, and getting a promotion. Whenever, we look at good-looking guys and girls, we usually form stereotypes. We think he or she is a good and kind person. This is why cosmetic surgery is so popular in our society

Whenever I see TV advertisements, I feel that these things make us believe beauty is very important--especially physical attractiveness. Although we say that inner beauty is more valuable, we often look to plastic surgery to make us more beautiful. There seems to be a boom in plastic surgery. It is surprising to realize the number of people who try it is increasing day by day.

It is true that attractive people get a job easily. For example, we know good-looking guys usually get higher scores on job interviews. So, what is real beauty? I want to say that inner beauty is the real one because if someone has beauty in his soul, he looks like a really beautiful person.

The beauty looked at with eyes doesn't last forever. Instead of concentrating on outer beauty, we should concentrate on inner beauty. The point is that inner beauty is more important than outside beauty. So, if we make the effort to make our minds beautiful, we'll be happier.

---SHIREEN---

Am I pretty?

2009-05-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever asked yourself this question, "Am I pretty?" or "My eyes should be bigger/my legs should be thinner and longer etc." These are the more commonly asked questions among girls our age these days.

Why? Why must we question God's creation? Aren't we all prefect in His eyes? We should not care how we look like in front of others but instead care how we look in His eyes. How we carry ourselves, or our moral values should be more important than looks.

When choosing a job next time, the boss isn't going to choose a person who looks good but can't do anything over a person who looks normal but gets the job done. Looks can only go so far, but what's most important is a person's heart.

Pretty people might not give up their seats to old/pregnant ladies on the bus. Maybe that's because they're too afraid to chip a nail or something of that sort. Who knows?

Ee should all love the way we are and that way, people will start to love you too. Respect yourself if you want others to respect you for who you are.

So, what are you waiting for? GO LIVE YOUR LIFE AND LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT! :)

-Hian Yong :)

inner beauty!!!

2009-04-22T01:39:00.000-07:00

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4 NIV)

hi everyone!!! i am shireen and i am here to share about this verse that i saw in the bible.This verse tells us that true beauty does not come from the outer appearance but the inner appearance which is our heart.....
Some of us think that beauty comes from the outside and we put make-up,buy expensive items or branded clothes just to decorate ourselves or make us look beautiful.
All these cosmetics are useless as they do not help you in any way except make you look like an adult. If you have all these cosmetics and you have no inner beauty ppl would not respect you. so what exactly is inner beauty??? I asked some of my friends and they said "to behave well and to help one another in times of need." I think this is quite true as we all have to start from the little things we do to have inner beauty.---for now i will leave you with this till next time
shireen!

Quote!

2009-04-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. (NIV)
Proverbs 31:30

Still worried about being accepted by society's standard of "beauty"? God does not ackowledge that at all! To Him, every single one of us is beautiful because we are created in His image and He loves us with all His heart. He created us with utmost care and we should be very grateful of the things we have. So what if not all of us have perfect features? God loves us the way we are!

"Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart."
-Kahlil Gibran

So let your light shine even brighter today!

- Nadine.

Inner Beauty

2009-04-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

After watching this video, i realize that there are many people out there who think that they should be slim so that they can be attractive. It is so NOT true! They may even go on diet which is not right. They are still growing up and they need all the nutrition they have from their food. Its is very bad to go on a diet at such a young age.
Venus

I just wanted to share this.

2009-04-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

During the March holidays, I met up with my primary school friend at Orchard to catch up. We haven't seen each other since last year so of course we were excited to finally meet up again. I was excited for another reason too. I was finally able to go out! I've just entered Secondary 3 this year and the work load really stresses me out most days so I was ecstatic that I finally got at least one day to unwind.

I had a lot of fun with my friend. But when I when we reached the Cineleisure, I started to feel inadequate.

Almost all the teens I saw there were wearing clothes that I wish I had, hair which was perfectly styled and they all looked really sure of themselves.

I saw some who were dressed in punk styles, some who were dressed like those I see in Korean or Japanese dramas and some who were dressed up hip-hop style.

I started to feel really plain in my jeans, shirt and converse sneakers.

I was always fascinated with all these different clothing styles. There are just so many! Boho-chic, preppy, hip hop and stuff like that. But I never really got to start on my transformation yet.

I immediately wanted to get away from there. Luckily, my friend obliged.

We went to Starbucks after that just to chat. Halfway through the conversation, she suddenly blurted out, "Gosh, I sort of feel jealous of that blonde girl I saw back there!"

Yeah, I remembered which blonde girl she was talking about. And yeah, she really was pretty. She was dressed up like how Avril Lavigne would look like for her music videos, which just made that girl look cooler.

So alright, this story doesn't really have a happy ending where we realize that that blonde girl also has self-esteem issues like us and yadda-yadda-yadda. I didn't even know that girl and it's been almost two weeks and I can't really remember her face now. But I did realize one thing.

Jealousy is a terrible thing. Even now I still feel jealous of some people and I know some of my friends who are jealous of other people too. But I think it's important to know that talking won't help. I could've carried on my conversation with my friend for days and still one day we would forget how that blonde girl even looked like. I could've transformed my whole wardrobe or my whole attitude to be just like who that girl appeared to be.

But really, is changing ourselves for the expense of others worth it? Why can't I accept myself just the way I am?

And my answer is, Yeah, who told me that I can't?

- Nadine

Why do we want 2 be slim?

2009-03-25T05:19:00.000-07:00

Mostly people put on a show just to fit in. l know a girl who was convinced that she was fat just by a teasing comment by a friend.She refused to eat anything but a sandwich for lunch and nothing for breakfast. Weeks later she began vomitting out anything she ate. Soon she went for a checkup. The doctor said that she was very close to becoming anorexic. After that incident she stopped her foul habits and ate properly.
Many people do not realize that when they become anorexic, they are not just hurting themselves but their loved ones too.
Chireni.

Body Image

2009-03-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

Body image is a term which may refer to a person's perception of their own physical appearance, or the internal sense of having a body which is interpreted by the brain. Essentially a person's body image is how they perceive their appearance to be to others, which in many cases may be dramatically different from how they actually appear to them.

This is prove that we actually think differently from what we actually look like. We may think, "Oh I'm so fat and flabby compared to that girl there..." In actual fact, there is no particular need to feel this way.

Body image is often measured by asking the subject to rate their current and ideal body shape using a series of depictions. The difference between these two values is the amount of body dissatisfaction.

Ever heard of "size zero" models?
Within the media industry there have recently been popular debates focusing on how "size zero" models can negatively influence teenagers into feeling insecure about their own body image. The desire to lose weight is highly correlated with poor body image, and more women than men have the desire to do so.

In conclusion, girls/ladies, there is no need to lose so much weight to look like a stick or force yourself to vomit out what you just had for lunch. There is nothing good about doing all these things, in fact, they do harm your body. So love yourself, as God made you to be! :)

-Hian Yong

Watch this:

Media Stereotypes.

2009-03-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Media is so subjective. How often do we see advertisements for slimming?

A lot, really.

Studies show that twenty years ago, models were 8% thinner than average women. Now, models are 23% thinner than average women. So, picture this. Me, standing at 158 cm and weighing 52kg and a model who's probably 175cm or more weighing the same as me.

And okay, I admit that I'm not stick-thin but this piece of news just makes me shiver. However, I also know that they are people who were born like that. Maybe good genes or an incredible discipline in dieting. But now, even models are pressured to be thinner. If models are pressured to be thin, then what about us who aren't 175cm tall and weigh more than 50kg?

But surely, there are consequences.

There was this hype over Ali Michael, an 18-year old model who was 5'9ft (175cm) tall and weighs 130 pounds (59kg). She was pressured to slim down to 102 pounds (48kg!). She did, and then she started to suffer from weight loss. Her hair started to fall out and she hasn't had her period for about one year. So after that, she started to eat more, with the help of her nutritionist and doctor's advise. However, for a Paris fashion show, she was chosen to go out only once and was criticized by designers that her legs looked "too fat" when she only gained 2kg!

It's hard to imagine a Vogue cover girl being told that she's too fat to model. But that only proves that society's views on what a woman should look like is very subjective. Why can't someone with an average weight and average height appear on fashion magazines? Because we all believe that skinnier girls sell more. We're so used to seeing thin women advertise everything from cars, to magazines, to clothes that our whole perception of beauty is this: tall and skinny with a nice face.

So, I encourage you to embrace who you are and to stop being obsessed about meeting society's "standard of beauty". No matter what our dress sizes, skin colour, height or weight are, we're all still human. Just because we're a size ten or size zero doesn't make us any less or more of who we truly are.

- Nadine

2009-03-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Oh, oh, oh

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

The rest is still unwritten

"Unwritten" is an uplifting song. This song touches my soul, and it always makes me feel better after listening to it, whenever I am down. This song is amazing!!!! :D

-Doreen.

inner beauty vs outer beauty!!!

2009-03-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

This is a daily bread post!!! hope you will read it!!!

Inner Beauty Vs. Outer
"Your adornment must not be merely external...but let it be the hidden person of the heart..." - I Peter 3:3-4
The world puts a lot of focus on women's beauty: makeup, jewelry, clothing, and of course, the right hairstyle. And don't forget taking care of her body! Certainly, men are drawn to beauty in a woman, and women know beauty is power.But God's Word says something interesting to women: "Let not your adornment be merely external--but let it be the hidden person of the heart." God's Word is reminding every woman that outward beauty is temporal, but inner beauty from godly character and spirit is imperishable. Think about older ladies whose countenance becomes more beautiful with age.God isn't saying, "Don't be concerned about making the most of your appearance." You should, for I assure you, the man in your life wants you to be. But God wants women to remember the only type of beauty that lasts. He wants you to focus, most of all, on godly beauty that gives a woman lasting splendor that grows greater with age.

by, shireen...

Positive Thinking

2009-02-22T02:24:00.000-08:00

Seventeen magazine's Body Peace Project aims to let girls everywhere that it's alright being ourselves, no matter what we look like or what we eat. Struggling in accepting the way you are? You can start by signing Seventeen's Body Peace Pledge! Just click here to sign!

Seventeen's Body Peace Pledge:

Remember that the sun will still rise tomorrow even if I had one too many slices of pizza or an extra scoop of ice cream tonight.
Never blame my body for the bad day I'm having.
Stop joining in when my friends compare and trash their own bodies.
Never allow a dirty look from someone else to influence how I feel about my appearance.
Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks — even if it seems harmless — because I'd never want anyone to do that to me.
Notice all the amazing things my body is doing for me every moment I walk, talk, think, breathe...
Quiet that negative little voice in my head when it starts to say mean things about my body that I'd never tolerate anyone else saying about me.
Remind myself that what you see isn't always what you get on TV and in ads — it takes a lot of airbrushing, dieting, money, and work to look like that.
Remember that even the girl who I'd swap bodies with in a minute has something about her looks that she hates.
Respect my body by feeding it well, working up a sweat when it needs it, and knowing when to give it a break.
Realize that the mirror can reflect only what's on the surface of me, not who I am inside.
Know that I'm already beautiful just the way I am.

That is the right way on how we should think about ourselves by thinking POSITIVE! We do not have to starve ourselves just to be slim like the models. We must be proud of who we are and not let that little voice in you to criticise about your body. Just remember this: You will always remain beautiful as long as you think positively.

Venus

Distorted perception of beauty

2009-02-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

Shireen here. Watch This Video! (=

the meaning of beauty...

2009-02-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

BEAUTY-the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).

Many ppl think that beauty is the outer appearance, above I gave the dictionary definition of beauty. If you have read the definition properly you could think that beauty is only the outer appearance. But does beauty give you happiness, if you are more beautiful on the outside but inside you have bad thoughts or even unfriendliness would any one respect you? I will leave you to ponder on this question and until next time, Shireen.

Do we truly fit in?

2009-02-12T05:11:00.000-08:00

A close friend of mine has really low self-esteem. Most people think that having low self-esteem is nothing big or serious, but, in actual fact it is.

Having low self-esteem may lead to some people cutting themselves or self-mutilation. But is all this really necessary? They also try ways and means to "fit in" with the rest of the crowd by either cutting their hair to the most "fashionable" style or buying the most commonly used bag and so on. Sometimes they do these things to make friends or to attract the attention of the opposite gender. Just think, is this really all worth it? To change your real image that you were born with, just so you can earn some looks from the guys, or to "act cool" in front of the girls.

My close friend is also pretty insecure and paranoid. Being afraid that people might not like her just because she is of a different race or has a different mindset. Should she really feel that way? She confides to me by lamenting that she does not fit in with the rest of us and that she should straighten her hair or get contacts.

Finally, I would like to say this, my close friend is tall and pretty, has big beautiful eyes and a bubbly personality. I think she is a good person at heart too. So as long as she discards her paranoia and becomes a person that is confident and carries herself properly, she does not even need to straighten her hair or get contacts to attract the boys' attention.

This is Hian Yong, signing off. :)

(P.S. Here's a little video just for you guys! :) Enjoy!)

Enchanted Youth.

2009-01-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

The ravaged face in the mirror hides the enchanting youth that is the real me.
- Mason Cooley

I was at blogskins.com, looking for a nice lay-out to use for this blog when I came across this and its meaningful quote. It made me ponder for a while, whenever I looked at the mirror, do I always like what I see? I'll be the very first one to answer no. Of course, for some, it might be a yes, or even a maybe. I would never know for sure since the world is so full of different faces and structures. I wasn't blessed with golden blond hair or long, lean legs or blue eyes. Sometimes I really hated myself for it.

Then I came across the quote above. "...the enchanting youth that is the real me." I may not be the skinniest girl among my friends or the prettiest but really, if I did have the qualities I wanted, would it change who I am? Would it suddenly make me a better person? Smarter? Happier? Leave me with more friends?

So let me leave you to wonder for yourself. I'm still waiting for my own answer too.

Until the next time,

Nadine.

2009-01-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

Blake Lively. Anne Hathaway. Angelina Jolie. Tyra Banks.

Google any of these people and you'll probably see lots and lots of images of them, all looking glamorous and spotlight-ready. Gosh, if every girl were as gorgeous as them, low self-esteem or awkwardness will just be a myth!

Even so, both of us know they aren't myths.

I wonder how many of us don't like our physical selves. The shape of our eyes, our height, weight, etc. How many of us would much rather trade places with the names mentioned above, or some other media personality who you really thought was beautiful, sexy or even perfect?

Personally, we really wouldn't mind if we traded places with people like Angelina Jolie. Being famous, being the center of attention at any event, being the envy of every girl's attention.

(We can't even get our teachers to remember our names sometimes, much less pronounce it correctly!)

Sometimes we're so caught up with outward appearances, ours and others, that we feel down sometimes. We feel like there's this standard of looking pretty. You have to be tall, slim, have big eyes, be fashionable, and so much more. So what happens to the rest of us who aren't so tall, aren't so slim, whose eyes aren't so big or those of us who don't know a thing about fashion or the latest trends?

We feel left out. Our confidence goes down. It's all basically negative, negative, negative.

We can't change the features that we are born with. I know that, you know that, everyone knows that. Cosmetic surgery can't change everything we have.

Our mission? Self-esteem. To find out anything about it, find any way to deal with it and basically anything under the sun about it, you'll explore it together with us- Nadine, Hian Yong, Doreen, Venus, Shireen and Chireni of the Girls' Brigade 28th coy. We really hope that this journey would be as meaningful to you as it is for us.

God Bless,

Nadine and Hian Yong
(Group Leaders)

From left to right: Nadine, Chireni, Hian Yong, Doreen, Shireen and Venus :)