What Do You Think of Dove’s Latest Beauty Campaign?

Posted on April 30, 2014 by bmaxwell2013

A few weeks ago Dove launched its latest campaign with a goal to highlight and promote the beauty within each and every one of us. I love the efforts that Dove is going to to empower women and emphasize that we are all truly more beautiful than we believe. If it was up to me there would be WAY more of this kind of work going on! In regard to this particular social experiment, created by Dove, they gave a group of women a “Beauty-Patch,” which they claimed would enhance their beauty if they kept it on for two weeks. Most of you probably guessed, but the patch was in fact a placebo. However, just by wearing it and thinking that it was working the women in this experiment reported that their confidence grew and they felt more beautiful. Case in point: when a women feels beautiful her self-esteem grows and she is more comfortable in her own skin. Unfortunately far too many of us struggle with seeing our true beauty and often feel anxious and consumed by our appearance. It is thus detrimental that experiments like this continue, no matter how simplistic they are, because they truly help women see that they are beautiful and it’s most important that they, and not anyone else, believe it.

I found that this article “Dove Patches: Beauty Within” did an excellent job summing up the experiment and its results if anyone wants to read more about the campaign!

Besides the fact that I personally enjoyed this campaign and feel that it has a very powerful message I wanted to bring it to everyone’s attention because there has actually been a lot of backlash about the simplicity of the experiment. Many have criticized Dove for thinking that women are “dumb” if they believe that a patch can make them more beautiful. However, I think that if women can find any sort of measure, whether it be a patch, a hat, or whatever the hell they want that makes them feel more beautiful and therefore enables them to lead a more confident life than why not do it? People need to stop being so critical and recognize the big picture that this is about empowering women and reassuring them that they are beautiful and they just need to believe it for themselves. One way I plan on doing this, and I welcome all of you to try this out if you want, is whenever I notice that I am starting to go to a negative place I’m going to take a deep breath and tell myself:

Both on the inside and outside 😉

Say What You Mean, But Don’t Say it Mean.

Posted on April 28, 2014 by bmaxwell2013

I thought that it might be nice to start the week of by sharing with all of you my all time fav words of wisdom. My sister introduced me to the phrase, “say what you mean, but don’t say it mean,” during a tough time in our relationship and since than we have both referred back to this whenever we feel like the other might need to rework their original remark. When we first began quoting this phrase I was in the thick of my struggle and my sister had no idea how to deal with me. Over time and through much work we’ve gotten immensely better at communicating our feelings and I attribute a significant portion of this success to the conscious efforts we now make to reframe our negative and critical thoughts into more constrictive words that come from purely a place of love. We have gotten so much closer because we are honest, but loving with one another. I don’t know what I’d do without her 🙂

I personally believe that by taking a minute to think before you speak in order to make sure that your words are both honest and kind is the only way to go. I mean who’s mom hasn’t told them that:

By making a solid effort to use your words in the most positive, but still honest manner I think that you will effectively reach the person you care about, especially when they are going through a rough patch. Honesty is clutch when it comes to communicating with those who you love, but unfortunately often when that person is struggling they will only hear the bad. When someone knows that you are coming from a place of kindness though they are often more receptive to your message and your compassionate words will probably resonate more with them.

So, ladies and gentleman to sum it all up: be honest, but not brutal. There is no shame in sharing your feelings, but make sure they are coming from a constructive and loving place. I hope that this helps some of you because I know that it has done wonders for many of my relationships 🙂 Happy Monday ❤

SurvIvies 2014

Posted on April 24, 2014 by bmaxwell2013

Sorry for my lack of posting, but I’ve been crazy busy this week trying to get all my work done before my college’s spring weekend goes into full swing! As most of you may know pretty much every college under the sun participates in some sort of “spring weekend” and it’s that time of the year for Bowdoin. Here we celebrate “Ivies” during the last weekend in April and it’s a pretty sweet time haha. Usually it’s the first weekend of the semester when it’s actually semi-appropriate to be outside and we take full advantage of the above freezing temps and sunshine! In honor of my last Ivies ever I thought I would share with all of you 5 clutch tips for SurvIving this weekend, and for all of you at other schools this advice totally pertains to your spring weekends as well!

1. Go out even if you aren’t drinking.

For us seniors it is especially important to take advantage of every last minute we have left here. So my advice is to go out even if you aren’t drinking. I’ve been around the block and have gone out quite a lot without drinking and in all honesty I usually have a pretty great time. Most people won’t be able to tell whether or not you are indulging in a beverage so don’t let your desire to stay sober deter you from being social. Some of my favorite and most fun people don’t drink and they are always a friggen blast.

2. Hydrate…For reals.

Ladies and gentleman this is probably the most important piece of advice I can give you all: drink LOTS AND LOTS of water. We are going to be outside in the sun and participating in some other activities that are def going to dehydrate us… So, be conscious of this and bring a water bottle with you. This is also a great way to pace yourself during the festivities.

3. Take pictures.

The memories tied to pictures last a lifetime so don’t hesitate to document this weekend. You don’t have to put the pictures on any form of social media, but it’s so important to have them for yourself.

4. Remember that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.

Never rush a good thing. Pace yourself and recognize that the festivities last all weekend long so if you want to go take a nap to recharge in between (or during) any of the events do it. You’ll thank yourself later I bet!

5. Enjoy your company.

Plain and simple just don’t surround yourself with people who bring you down or who you don’t like…they truly aren’t worth your time or energy. For all of us seniors this is one of our last big college events before graduation so don’t waist your time with those who aren’t contributing to your happiness. It’s the quality of your friendships that matter, not the number of friends you have.

Happy Ivies everyone and enjoy the weekend by living in the moment 🙂

Wellness Week!!

Posted on April 17, 2014 by bmaxwell2013

Yesterday I enjoyed participating in a lovely afternoon at Lynnfield High School for their Wellness Week. The week centers on promoting healthy wellness behaviors and habits onto high school students who are often most susceptible to stress and other damaging behaviors because of the overwhelming pressures that are placed onto them at this time. The mom of one of my closest friends is the school nurse at Lynnfield and she invited me to speak about body image/eating disorders with her students. As someone who is currently in recovery and not fully healed I was obviously nervous about taking on this challenge, but I am so glad that I did. It was so rewarding and even though not as many students as I would have liked approached my table if I was able to make a difference in just one person’s day than it reinforces everything I am doing. I just had to remind myself that it’s always about quality over quantity!

Here’s the table we set up for the students. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to show my blog, which I truly appreciated and also hope resonated with the students who came over to talk with me.

Nurse Mary and I at our table!

I hope that by speaking up about my own struggles with my eating disorder that I can help others who are hurting to see that they are not alone and they don’t have to suffer in silence. I’ve grown so much since I’ve started treatment and began to open up about all the trials and tribulations I’ve endured with my eating disorder and I truly hope to continue down this positive and bright path and can only hope that others join me in recovery 🙂

Oh, Boston, You’re My Home <3

Posted on April 15, 2014 by bmaxwell2013

It’s one year later and we are stronger than ever. Take a minute today to reflect and remember the resilience, and pride, our city showed in the wake of terror and tragedy. Boston, you will forever have my heart, love you always xoxo

Special shout out to all of the brave souls running in this year’s marathon in less than a week! You are all my heroes, especially Amy Livermore and Francesca Pelletier, you ladies rock and inspire me SO much.

Image courtesy of Valentine (via Boston Magazine)

Senior Spring Shenanigans :)

Posted on April 14, 2014 by bmaxwell2013

It’s official: Senior Spring is in full swing and it has already GREALY surpassed my expectations. Granted, because of my unique situation as a “super” senior, I thought I might have a more difficult time embracing this part of the year, but I’m actually loving it. I am fully taking advantage of the little time I have left here, and most importantly, I feel like I am true member of the Class of 2014. It’s so important for me to make the most of the rest of my college experience because I never expected to make it this far and I wouldn’t have without the love and support of all my friends, new and old, here at school. So today I want to share with all of you some of the awesome Senior Spring shenanigans I participated in this weekend, with my amazing friends, and I promise to keep you all posted on the weeks to come!

Birthday festivities in 15A with these gorgeous ladies, followed by some “galactic” bowling…amaze.

I just had to share this epic wine glass with all of you that I got to test out before our bowling adventure…it’s too cool haha! Don’t worry though I didn’t quite finish it all 😉

On Saturday I went shopping in Portland with my bestie. We are obsessed with Bliss Boutique...we can never leave there empty handed 🙂

Saturday I danced the night away and behaved like a “freshman” (it’s up to you all to interrupt this in whatever way you want haha). Honestly the nights’ where it is socially appropriate to be absolutely ridiculous are limited so why not just have the best time ever this spring?

A surprise breakfast date on Sunday at Jen’s Place with the sissy!

Impromptu trip to Whole Foods for some smoothie treats Sunday night 🙂

I can’t wait for even more adventures and the good times that are to come. So far I’m in la-la-la love with Senior Spring and living every day to the fullest!

Let Your Shirt Speak For Ya Every Now and Then :)

Posted on April 9, 2014 by bmaxwell2013

When I first thought about writing this post my mind instantly went back to the middle school days of Abercrombie & Fitch graphic tees…I’ve grown up and I’d like to believe that my style has improved DRASTICALLY since then, but I have to say A&F had something pretty cool going on there. Every now and then who doesn’t want to wear a top that communicates their feelings or represents them in some capacity? I think it’s a really fun and easy way to take charge of your style and show others things that you love. Also, it’s an awesome way to add some wit into your daily life and possibly bring a smile not only to your face, but someone elses’ as well, and who doesn’t want to brighten up some spirits?

Here are a few fun examples, including myself, rocking my fav Spiritual Gangster sweater (I apologize for the selfie…desperate times haha):

(Clearly also a no makeup day…woops!)

What do you want your top to say about you?

Holla If You’re Ready For Spring

Posted on April 7, 2014 by bmaxwell2013

Spring has sprung and although New England is notorious for it’s less than ideal weather during these months (April showers usually proceed far into May) I’m optimistic that this year will be different. I mean after the brutality of this past winter we deserve a little sunshine, some blooming flowers, and a warm breeze. So let’s keep our fingers crossed and tell ourselves that we deserve a spring because we are survivors of the Winter of 2014 and even though spring often feels like the quickest of all seasons why not enjoy it? It’ll hopefully be a great build up to summer, which promises to be the best time of my year 🙂 hopefully it’s the same for all of you!

Do You Have A Healthy Relationship With Food?

Posted on April 2, 2014 by bmaxwell2013

As I have mentioned time and time again eating disorders do not discriminate and can affect any individual regardless of their race, gender, age, class, etc. Unfortunately, because there are so many stigmas and stereotypes tied to disordered eating many people who are suffering do not have access to the help they so desperately need and often deny that anything is wrong. In an attempt to bring some awareness to this issue I want to share two links with you all. The first one is an Eating Behavior Self Assessment created by Dartmouth, and the second is a free and confidential Eating Disorder Screening provided by the National Eating Disorder Association. I encourage anyone who is questioning their relationship with food to take one, or both, of these tests. Remember there is no shame in seeking help and taking care of yourself because in the end it will only make you a stronger and more capable person. Happy Humpday and I hope these links help anyone who is having a tough time!

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Monthly Archives: April 2014