Category: Self Worth & Esteem

Tyler Perry

Posted on December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

In reference to sexual abuse, Tyler Perry stated, “It was rape, I didn’t know what was going on or the far-reaching effects of it. I just moved through it. ‘Boys don’t cry, shut up and move on.’ Holding on to all of that, not knowing what to do with it, there was a lot of anger in my teenage years, in my 20s. If any of it had worked, my attempts to kill myself…. I wouldn’t have gotten to the other side of all the horror. I believe that to everything there is an opposite. So for all of that pain and hell I was going through as a child, there has to be beauty. I tell anyone who is in pain, ‘Just keep going. One little step is a step.'” -People

Solange Van Doorn

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

“My mom is a girl from New York, and my dad is a strong, sturdy Dutchman. I grew up with dual citizenship, and I still don’t have a grasp on American beauty standards. It used to be about having blonde hair, blue eyes, skinny-girl stuff, but now it’s like if you are true to yourself and an individual, you’re beautiful. As a girl who’s happiest in an oversize T-shirt and seawater in my hair, I’m pleased with that.” -Allure

Dara Allen

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

“American beauty for me is very much about that transformation from something you are into something you dream of being. Hollywood invented the movie star, which takes a person from normalcy and makes them into something extraordinary. You take whatever ingredients you have and make what you want to be.” -Allure

Breck Gambill

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

“I’m a bohemian type of person, but to me [American beauty] is being a strong-minded human who makes her own decisions-being able to plan your own life and live to please anyone but yourself.” -Allure

Venus Williams

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

“Growing up, I was taught that if I saw something that wasn’t right, I had to do something, say something, and not censor myself.” -Glamour

Brie Larson

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

“It’s about being open to asking the tough questions, having the courage to implement changes and putting your privilege on the line.”

Taraji P. Henson

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

“To remind students every day they are worthy, that they are beautiful.” -People

Angelina Jolie

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

“You can always put on a pretty dress, but it doesn’t matter what you wear on the outside if your mind isn’t strong enough. There is nothing more attractive-you might even say enchanting-than a woman with an independent will and her own opinions.” -Elle

Angelina Jolie

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

“Who we are meant to be in life is something we all have to work out for ourselves. I think we can often go offtrack as women, because our instinct is to nurture or to adjust ourselves to society’s expectations. It can be hard to take the time to ask ourselves who we truly want to be- not what we think people will approve of or accept, but who we really are. But when you listen to yourself, you can make the choice to step forward and learn and change.” -Elle

Viola Davis

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Betty Hoeffner

“In the beginning of my career, I handled rejection by personalizing it. For me, people were just cementing what I felt like I already knew about myself: that I wasn’t attractive.” -People