From the minute we wake in the morning and look in the mirror, to the magazines or Instagram pictures we flick through in the minutes before we go to sleep, we are bombarded by the notion of beauty. Constant questions of what it is, how to get or maintain it and whether we ourselves define it – to extremely negative effect. In fact, a recent survey found as few as 2% of women would describe themselves as beautiful. So where do we go from here?
Beautiful You Australia is a ground-breaking new experience which hopes to redefine beauty for women, with its inaugural event to launch in Melbourne next month. Taking over the Royal Exhibition Building from 13-14 September, the event promises a full weekend of beauty redefining moments, with live demonstrations, workshops, information and competitions in fashion, beauty, health and fitness. The aim is to create glamorous, happy, healthy and stylish women of all ages, feeling beautiful and inspired by who they are. It’s different for everyone, and to Beautiful You, that’s what makes being beautiful, so beautiful.
We spoke to the event’s celebrity ambassadors, stylist Jules Sebastian, Mrs Australia 2014 Kate Johnson and Dancing With the Stars’ Carmelo Pizzino about common beauty misconceptions, and what advice they’d give their younger selves.
Q. What does beauty mean to you?
Kate: I think true beauty shines from within and is a person who leaves people feeling good about themselves – not just someone that looks good. Beauty is about handling the awful things life throws at you with grace, it’s about being comfortable in your own skin and making the most of what you have with the passion to strive for what you want. Beauty is about being the best version of you; growing and evolving everyday.
Jules:Beauty means a few different things to me. As a stylist, I work with outer beauty and I help people to feel good about themselves on the outside. True beauty extends beyond the exterior, and being happy and comfortable with who you are makes a huge difference. This is one of the reasons why the concept behind Beautiful You Australia resonates with me so much.
Carmelo: To me, beauty is more about what you do than how you look. Beauty is everywhere – in people, in things, in relationships and feelings – but when it comes to people, beauty to me is about what’s inside. Beautiful qualities like trust, happiness, and generosity are more beautiful to me than a perfect face. Being confident in who you are, accepting of who you are, and being willing to work to change the things you’re not happy with are all signs of beauty to me.
Q. What is the biggest misconception about beauty?
Kate: I think one of the biggest misconceptions about beauty is that ‘beauty’ looks a certain way. There’s such a small percentage of the population who are truly genetically blessed though that doesn’t make the rest of us less beautiful.
I see a lot more beauty in kindness than I do in physical looks. I’ve met some drop-dead gorgeous girls in my time though when I’ve seen them look down on others or treat people with contempt, they’re instantly ugly to the bone in my books.
Jules: I think people often perceive beauty to be limited to aesthetics and external appearance. As women, we constantly have an ideal image of ‘beauty’ imprinted from an early age at a standard that is incredibly difficult for the everyday woman to achieve. Beauty is only skin deep, and the people I consider the most beautiful are beautiful because of who they are on the inside and not what they look like in the mirror.
Carmelo: That it’s a physical thing, and that it’s defined by others. You control your own perception of beauty – and of how beautiful you are. Beautiful You Australia is about redefining beauty and I think that’s really important – too many people think of exteriors when they hear ‘beauty’ and they rely on other people’s opinions to dictate what that should look like.
Q. Finally, what beauty advice would you give your younger self?
Kate: Value your inner beauty. See yourself as a confident, talented and beautiful leader who posses a unique gift that only you can share with the world. At times you’ll think it’s tough, but be strong! You won’t have the best of everything though you’ll make the best of what you have. Live a positive life where you can accept imperfections and approach life with balance, patience…and humour!
Jules: To embrace who I am and to give myself a break for not being perfect! I’m all for living a healthy lifestyle and making the most of what you’ve got, but I think for many of us, our inner critic speaks a lot more loudly than our internal supporter and I like to tell my inner critic to be quiet a lot more often!
Carmelo: Be confident, and be happy! Those qualities radiate – they ensure you only invest in good relationships, they ensure you look after your health, they keep you moving forward even in times of difficulty, and your outer beauty follows as a result.
For more information and tickets for Beautiful You Australia, please click here.
13-14 September 2014 at the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
