Category: herstory

Beauty is…little hands doing big things.

Daniela and her family make beautiful birthday cakes for kids who are dealing with hardships. She hand delivers them to the birthday boy or girl and sings them “Happy Birthday.” All while fighting her own battle.

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Daniela Delgado is just like any other 8 year old girl. She goes to school, loves reading and participating in running club, and spending time with her family.

But Daniel is also extraordinary. She and her family make beautiful birthday cakes for kids who are dealing with hardships. She hand delivers them to the birthday boy or girl and sings them “Happy Birthday.” All while fighting her own battle.

Daniela took some time out of baking and running and reading to answer a few questions for OperationalizeBeauty.

(Warning: you may experience renewed feelings of hope for our future after reading this interview.)

Who she is: Daniela Delgado from Daniela’s Little Wish

What she does: Bake birthday cakes at no cost  for kids with life threatening illnesses or disabilities and kids suffering a sad situation in their lives.

Where she does it: Stamford, Connecticut, but I travel all around Connecticut to deliver my cakes and now I am starting a project to deliver cake toppers to other states (sadly not the cakes, I cannot send them).

Meet Daniela

I am 8 years old and  I am  from Stamford, CT.  I do not have siblings. I live with my parents, both are immigrants from Colombia (my mom) and Mexico (my dad) and I am so proud to call myself Colombian-Mexican-American. Like a normal girl I play with my dolls, I love reading books (it is my passion, too) and do exercise (I am in a running club to be healthy). I have a beautiful 3 pound of “hair” yorkie and I love to camp. I love nature and animals.

My mom always said that I am very mature for my age and I agree! I help my parents not to worry about me. I am never mean to anybody and I am very respectful to others and especially adults (I love to talk with them).  My parents are raising me well, teaching me good values and morals.

I love to help others. I am so happy with myself!!

P.S I am a little disorganized but I am working on that!!

What is Von Willebrand and how does it affect you?

I have a health condition called Severe von Willebrand Disease Type 1. It is a condition that can cause extended or excessive bleeding. The condition is most often inherited (my mom has it too) and it is a deficiency in our impairment of a protein called von Willebrand factor, an important component in your blood-clotting process. In general, it takes longer for people with von Willebrand disease to form clots and stop bleeding when they’re cut.

I live a normal life. I just have to be very careful not to hit my head, my stomach, or my inner arms. I have to avoid contact sports and stay away from heights of more than 8 feet. I always carry with me special medication that could save my life in case of minor and big accidents. My school and my classmates have to know about my condition and avoid rough play with me. I feel special because I have a nurse in school that takes care of me and the secretary of my school, Patti, always takes care of my minor boo-boos and calls my mom about the incident. I am having nose bleeding episodes without a reason and my mom taught me how calm I have to be, lay down, pinch my nose in a special place, take my medicine and rest for a while.  I always wear a medical  bracelet with my condition and it is good because in case of accidents doctors and paramedics know what to do. My body is changing, so I can expect any effect related with my condition. I do not feel shy or different to anybody, I just have to be careful with myself.

Tell me a little about Daniela’s Little Wish. When did you start DLW? What inspired you to start? What exactly do you do?

Well, I started this community group when I was just 4 years old. My mom and dad were making a cake and I raised my magic wand (spatula) and wished that I could make cakes for kids suffering in this world with sickness, disabilities, domestic violence and any situation that makes them feel sad or different.

Continue reading “Beauty is…little hands doing big things.” →

Beauty is…walking away alive

Melissa has said that she wants her story to be heard, so that she might “make a difference in someone else’s life.”

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(Trigger warning)

Melissa Schuster was unloading groceries from her car one Saturday afternoon when a blue Altima backed into her driveway. Londale Madison got out of the car and asked Melissa for money. After she told him she didn’t have any money to give him, she went into her house and locked her door. But Londale was persistent. He knocked on the door, again asking her for money. And again, Melissa refused. That is when he pushed the door open and attacked her. He hit her, forced her into the shower, raped her, and stabbed her 17 times. He then took her purse and her cell phone and left her for dead.
Melissa thought her last moments would be spent in that shower. Alone and scared, she remembers thinking, “This is it. I’m not going to make it. I’m gonna to die.”
“But then I told myself, ‘No, I’m not going to let this person overcome me.’” Melissa said.
“I was terrified, but I was not going to give up.”
She ran out of her house and made it to her neighbor’s door. “She was covered head to toe with blood,” the neighbor said. “My husband put a blanket around her and ran outside to see if he could find who had done this to her.”
Londale was found, arrested, and charged with one count of attempted first degree murder, one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault, one count of home invasion and one count of armed robbery–all are felony charges. If he is found guilty on all counts, he will be facing a maximum of 120 years in prison.
“I want to see him put away for a very long time,” Melissa said. And it is quite likely she will, as he has plead guilty to the crimes.
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Though many media outlets typically do not release the names sexual assault victims, Melissa has said that she wants her story to be heard, so that she might “make a difference in someone else’s life.” When she was released from the hospital a week after the attack, she spoke with press, saying that the hope of helping others is part of her healing process.
Melissa said that the first time she looked in the mirror after the attack was heartbreaking, but then she “realized it’s just the beginning.”
“Talking about what happened is a relief, part of my recovery,” she said. “I have been talking about it since day one.”

She is strong.

She is inspiring.

She is hopeful.

She is beautiful.

And she won.

“I defeated him,” said Melissa. “He tried to take everything away from me but I won in the end. I did not give up.”

Beauty is…changing the world

Malala is by now a household name, and perhaps one of the most beautiful young women of our time.

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Malala is by now a household name, and the name of one of the most beautiful young women of our time.

Just in case you live under a rock, you can click here for a lovely presentation about her beautiful self:

She is Malala

If you’re not in the clicking mood, keep reading…

  • She was born in Mingora, in Pakistan‘s Swat Valley, in July of 1997
  • The Taliban began taking over her hometown when she was young. They forced many changes on the people in the Swat Valley, and targeted girl’s schools in particular.
  • Malala’s father founded the school Malala attended, and she did not give up her right to an education. In 2008 she gave a speech calling out the Taliban entitled, “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?”
  • In 2009 Malala began anonymously blogging for the BBC. She wrote about living under threats from the Taliban. You know, the typical stuff 12 year old girls deal with.
  • In 2011, she was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize and she was awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize.
  • When she was 14, she and her family learned that the Taliban had issued a death threat against her. However, they thought that even the Taliban would not harm a child.
  • In October 2012, a masked man boarded her school bus (more of a truck, really) and asked for Malala. When a couple of the kids looked towards her, the man held a gun to her face and shot her. She was hit in the left side of her head. Two other girls were also injured.
  • In November 2012, the Malala Fund was created. First, with the mission to aid with her medical expenses. When she had recovered she said, “I am fine. Help the other Malalas.” So, they did. And they have continued to do so.
  • Incredibly, she returned to school (in England this time) in March 2013.
  • In July 2013, she spoke at the United Nations.
  • In October 2013, her book “I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” was published.
  • That same month, Malala was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament.
  • She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize first in 2013, then again in 2014, when she became the youngest person to ever win the prize.
  • On her 18th birthday, she opened a school for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. She urged her supporters to tell world leaders to invest in “books, not bullets.” She wrote: “The shocking truth is that world leaders have the moneu to fully fund primary AND secondary education around the world– but they are choosing to spend it on other things, like their military budgets. In fact, if the whole world stopped spending money on the military for just 8 days, we could have the $39 billion still needed to provide 12 years of free, quality education to every child on the planet.”

Needless to say, Malala is everything a human should be. She is brave, passionate, and active. She sees clearly the obstacles in the way of her mission, and she speaks out tirelessly against them. She is truly changing the world.

And that is beautiful.

(image from communitytable.parade.com)

Beauty is…finishing

Along with a throng of other elementary schoolers, this beautiful strong little lady read 26 books, ran 26 miles, and did 26 good deeds for Go! St Louis’ Read Right Run.

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Along with a throng of other elementary schoolers, this beautiful strong little lady read 26 books, ran 26 miles, and did 26 good deeds for Go! St Louis' Read Right Run.
Along with a throng of other elementary schoolers, this beautiful strong little lady read 26 books, ran 26 miles, and did 26 good deeds for Go! St Louis’ Read Right Run.

This little lady (along with 100s of other little ladies and fellas) reached an exceptional goal. Through the Go! St Louis Read, Right, Run program, kids all over the St Louis area read 26 books (the Read part), did 26 good deeds (the Right part), and ran 26.2 miles (the Run part). What I love about this event is that it celebrates WHAT these kiddos did. 26 books, deeds, and miles is no small task. But they did it! And they learned dedication, time management, and stick-to-it-iveness (yeah, its totally a word) along the way. They set a goal– a pretty lofty one if you ask me– and then they obliterated it.

Now that’s pretty darn beautiful.

To learn more about Go! St Louis and their various events promoting healthy families and healthy communities, visit their site:

GO! St. Louis Home

Beauty is…knowing what you are and knowing what you are not.

“You are your own definition of beautiful and worthwhile”

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Just in case you are a little unclear about what you are and what you are not, let Ms. Swift set a couple of things straight:

The whole thing is good. But there are couple points we particularly love here at OperationalizeBeauty:

at 1:20: “You are not the opinion of someone who doesn’t know you”

at 1:57: “You are your own definition of beautiful and worthwhile”

Now, whether you are a Taylor Swift fan or not, you have to admit– this is pretty fantastic. It’s not every day that young girls hear their idol tell them that they get to decide what and who they are. That they get to say what makes them beautiful and worthwhile. That they get to make the rules. It seems so simple, but we don’t hear it enough.

We want to change that. The whole mission of OperationalizeBeauty is to encourage women and girls to do exactly what T-Swift is talking about– embrace their own definition of what it means to be beautiful and worthwhile.

It’s good to know we have Ms Swift in our corner.

What is your definition of beauty?

Beauty is…motherhood (sorta)

“I feel like I gave moms a voice and I feel like I encouraged them to be OK with their messy lives”

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Copy of IMG_2178

Meet Elisha Wilson Beach. And her 11 month old daughter, Nolan. Elisha made some waves on the inter webs recently when she posted this shot on her Instagram.

Now, say what you will– but here’s the thing. Moms wipe snotty noses even though the mere thought of snot makes them gag. They clean bloody wounds even though they can’t stand the sight of blood. They change the poopiest of diapers even though they can’t stand the smell. And when their babies are hungry, they feed them, even though they are kinda in the middle of something.

What I love even more than this shot is some of the feedback she received (“Been there, done that” one lady wrote on Elisha’s Instagram) and her response to her critics:

“I feel like I gave moms a voice and I feel like I encouraged them to be OK with their messy lives,” Elisha says.

“I see so many moms doubting themselves or feeling judged for what they do, whether they’re a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, a formula-feeding mom or a breast-feeding mom,” she said. “I want moms to be confident in the choices they’re making and knowing they’re doing the best for their kids.”

Mom’s lives are messy. But Elisha is right, we are all doing the best we can. And we are all in it together.

Get the whole story here

http://www.today.com/parents/breast-feeding-mom-sparks-controversy-honest-photo-t17216

Beauty is… celebrating what your body can do

“My body can run for miles and not give out on me”

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Meet Miss Loey Lane. She’s a “college student, army wife, mama to two fur babies (a husky puppy and a kitten) and a beauty-loving blogger.” And an all around rockstar. Check out what is oh-so-right about her beautiful self.

What can your body do?

Beauty is…about that bass, but not for those reasons.

Here at OperationalizeBeauty, we too are all about that bass. But not for those reasons…

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Ms. Trainor’s body image-affirming lyrics have won her widespread acclaim. And for good reason. I mean, who doesn’t want someone to bring booty back? And that’s right every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top! And I most definitely echo her cries regarding photoshop. This is a jam I have turned up more than once, and sang along loud and proud with my girls in the backseat. Maybe it was singing along that really got me thinking about the lyrics…

Here at OperationalizeBeauty, we too are all about that bass. But not for those reasons…

After establishing that she ain’t no size two, she reassures us that she can still shake it shake it like she’s supposed to do. She also let’s us know that she has that boom boom that all the boys chase. And that her momma told her not to worry about her size because boys like a little more booty to hold at night. So, as a momma, what I’m hearing is that the worth of this girl’s body lies in the fact that it is desirable to the fellas. And that she can shake it.

I love love love just about every other bit of the song, I really do. But I can’t help but cringe a bit at those few lines. Because ladies, your body is so much more that what some boy likes to squeeze at night. I can’t help but feel like those few lines just reinforce the sexualization and objectification of the female form that we have all been trying so hard to fight against for so long. She seems to be saying that it’s ok that she isn’t a size two because boys like that. She should be saying that it’s ok that she isn’t a size two because it’s ok that she isn’t a size two.

Continue reading “Beauty is…about that bass, but not for those reasons.” →