My Mom 2.0 #RealBeauty Experience


I'm notorious about taking a long time after an event to write something up.  It's not always because I'm a procrastinator, however.  Sometimes, I just need some time to process and assess my experience.

Such was the case with this year's Mom 2.0 Conference.  I had gone to this blogger event 2 other times before, and it has always been a favorite social media event of mine.  The venue is smaller, the hotel nicer, and the sponsors very much more personable.  In addition to getting to know some great brands that I had never met, as well as meeting up with long-time colleagues and friends (like some of the Walmart Moms), I also had the unique experience of being sponsored by Dove. (And I also go to take along my favorite little man -- my youngest baby Manny!)


I don't consider myself a beauty blogger.  I don't consider myself much of anything to do with beauty, in fact.  I have always been "boyish", "small", and sometimes -- on a very good day -- "cute."  Beautiful, however, was never used to describe me by anyone growing up (not even myself.)

How sad, and almost shameful, it was, then, when I participated in the Dove Self-Esteem Workshop at the Mom 2.0 event.  I rolled my eyes a bit at the thought of a self-esteem workshop helping me in any way.  The whole thought of self-esteem seemed self-serving and unimportant in my life.  Besides, why would an adult worry about these things?


I went to the workshop along with a couple of my friends.  Right away, I saw that our table had 3 adorable little girls at it.  They were best friends, they said.  The leader of our group instructed us to write down on a big flip-board the things we think about ourselves.  I heard "wrinkles" and "old" and "fat" and "grey hairs."  To be honest, I was thinking a few of these things ourselves.

Then, the leader of the group came over and encouraged the girls to start thinking about positive things they see when they look in the mirror.  Things like "I'm smart."  "I sing really well." "My family loves me."

How silly I felt that these girls heard the things the moms in the room were saying about themselves.  It reminded me of all the times I've said things while looking in the mirror that my own daughter may have heard.  Things that may have shaped her view about what society values in women and what she should value in herself.

Needless to say, the session was quite eye-opening.  I vowed after that day to never again say anything negative about myself in front of my daughter... and then I expanded that vow to include saying anything negative about myself at all.. if I could help it.


Dove has been working tirelessly (in my opinion) to change the way the world sees women by changing the way women see themselves.  I know that their efforts have already worked to change one family's practices.  What would it take to change yours?

*Dove sponsored part of my trip to Mom 2.0.  Opinions are 100% my own.

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