The Power of a Post-It: Operation Beautiful

Have you ever gotten an encouraging note from someone at just the right time?  Whether it was a note from a best friend after you failed a test or a sweet text message someone sent you after you broke up with your boyfriend, encouraging words, no matter how short, can turn your outlook on the whole day around.

What if there was a way to spread the joy from a sweet note to people you don’t even know?  This was how Caitlin, a young woman from Florida, started the Operation Beautiful blog about a year ago.

Operation Beautiful is a blog, but more importantly, it is a movement to make people feel beautiful and better about themselves all over the world through simple tools: a paper and pen.  People post positive messages for others in public places from public restrooms to 100 Calorie Packs at the grocery store to remind people the good things about themselves.

I interviewed Caitlin recently to get more information about the movement to share with CL readers.  She says Operation Beautiful started after she had a hard day with work and night classes, and she wanted to do something for someone else.  She posted a simple note with a positive message, took a picture of it, and posted it on her personal healthy living blog. Through her incredibly responsive readers, what she thought would be a short-lived project turned into a worldwide effort.  She had to start a second blog for Operation Beautiful posts.

Caitlin says that the purpose of Operation Beautiful is to promote “positive body image and outlook and an end to negativity.”  She says her favorite post on an Operation Beautiful note is: “Scales measure weight, not worth.”  From her experiences as a healthy living blogger, she says that many things determine a number on a scale that may have nothing to do with overall health or how we look.

I also asked Caitlin for tips for CL readers on maintaining a positive body image, healthy lifestyle, and overall healthy outlook as college students.  She’s an especially good resource, because she is not far removed from us as college students at all.

Caitlin’s tips on healthy living as a college student: While it certainly is difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a college student, don’t wait until graduation to get serious about being healthy.  Look for healthy choices in dining halls.  You have access to a free gym—use it!

Caitlin’s tips on maintaining a positive outlook: Don’t work out to be skinny; be active for pleasure and to build your confidence.  Getting involved can also help build your confidence.  Keep the positive things about yourself in mind!

Caitlin’s Tips on a balanced lifestyle as a young professional: Don’t settle for a job you hate just because you’re making good money.  When all you care about is money, it eventually wears on you.  Find something you love, and give it time and effort.  Also, what you study in college doesn’t necessarily have to be what you end up doing.  Caitlin’s degree is in political science and English writing!

Caitlin’s book Operation Beautiful, based on the blog comes out Tuesday, August 3!  It is based on the site, including 125 notes and tips on how to maintain a positive body image.  Check it out!

Also, check out Operation Beautiful and Caitlin’s personal blog: Healthy Tipping Point.

Want to get involved in the Operation Beautiful movement?  Write your own note, take a picture of it, and email it to Caitlin!  Get creative!  Posts have been on the sidewalk, on stop signs, in library books, in car windows, even on the back of people’s shirts during a half marathon!

You can also help the positive body image movement by participating in Change the Way You See Not the Way You Look this week or by celebrating Fat Talk Free Week, October 18-22, 2010.  Check with your local Tri Delta chapter for more information. 

Karen Woods is a recent graduate of Millikin University and a proud member of Delta Delta Delta.  She loves Operation Beautiful because it combines two of her favorite things: positive body image and Post-Its.  Her favorite quote from a Post-It is: “Life is better when you are yourself, without compromise or guilt.”