WHAT DIANE KEATON (and my friends) TAUGHT ME ABOUT BEAUTY

The first time I fell in love with Diane Keaton was the first time I saw The Godfather. The second time I fell in love with Diane Keaton was when I saw Annie Hall. My obsession with her turtlenecks and open crisp white button downs arrived when she appeared in Something’s Gotta Give (and subsequently sent my mother and I on a permanent hunt for the perfect “Diane Keaton” shirt). And my appreciation for her quirkiness arrived when she starred in Because I Said So. This woman, who undoubtedly tops my favorite actress list, has been inspiring me one way or another for as long as I can remember.

Diane Keaton is a woman to admire. She is a woman who through a screen, has made so many experience both pure joy and utter heartache- and sometimes all at the same time. But the most impactful and significant thing that Diane Keaton has provided me did not come from a screen. It did not come from an interview. It came from a book, penned by her hand, about her unabashed, unconventional and honest way of thinking about beauty.

In Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty, Diane Keaton shares “the wisdom she’s accumulated through the years as a mother, daughter, actress, artist, and international style icon. It is a book only Diane Keaton could write—a smart and funny chronicle of the ups and downs of living and working in a world obsessed with beauty. In her one-of-a-kind voice, she offers up a message of empowerment for anyone who’s ever dreamed of kicking back against the “should’s” and “supposed to’s” that undermine our pursuit of beauty in all its forms.” With chapter titles that include “Wrong is Right”, “Prisoners on my Wall”, and my personal favorite “Turtlenecks and Ties, Bikinis and Bras”, Keaton puts her cards on the table about the importance of staying true to yourself and crafting your own definition of beauty- no matter what anyone else thinks.

In true Diane form, here are my cards on the table: You don’t have to be a celebrity to feel the pressure to mold to traditional definitions of beauty. (And you can read a bit more on my personal experience with this here.) Beauty is defined as a characteristic of an idea, object, person or place that provides a perception of pleasure or satisfaction. And who gets to decide what those characteristics are? WE DO. Even if that means running around downtown Boston in your husband’s tie.

In a world where selfies and perceived perfection reign supreme, I’ve asked some of the incredible women in my life- women who inspire me to live as fearlessly as I can- to weigh in with their own definitions of beauty. There are no wrong answers. There are no “should’s” or “supposed to’s”. There is the only the hope to create a conversation that forces us to hold up a mirror, and resoundingly like what we see.

JULIE HIGHTOWER

Host of A Better Day With Julie / Philanthropist

“Beauty for me is somewhat complex. It is very easy to get mesmerized by Instagram pretty photos and social media. Beauty for me is the individual’s soul and heart. Who you are as a person? I believe the inside exudes on the outside with everything. When your soul is beautiful its truly contagious. The outside look may fade, age, expand, enlarge, and most importantly CHANGE, but the heart is so pure and real. What’s in your heart always comes out eventually. When people see me, I want them to remember my beautiful soul, not my looks.”

KATIE SCHUPPLER

Owner/Personal Style Consultant at KS Style Consulting / Style Editor for Chicago Woman Magazine

“For me, I feel most beautiful when I can be myself and when I am successful. There is such a confidence by doing well in life whether that be in running my businesses, my relationship, my friendships, or time with family. Trying to find the balance in this is the ultimate struggle at times, but when I feel this is all equal it makes me feel happy and accomplished which can exude beautiful from the inside out without even having any makeup on!”

DANIELLE CONNELL

Creator of A Sequined Life

JOI C WEATHERS

Creator of Joi Has Questions

“I’ve always loved my eyes. Mainly because I have these really gorgeous brown, almond shaped eyes that I feel I get from both my parents. As a child, these sparkling little orbs were hidden behind coke bottle thick spectacles, and they made me feel like a spectacle whenever my classmates brought it to my attention. But I soldiered on, because the one thing that seemed to silence those little pests was, that no matter how much my classmates teased me, they couldn’t stifle my intelligence. You see, behind the glasses was a world that only I beheld.

That, coupled with my parents encouragement, helped me to realize that beside the fact that I had my parents sparkling eyes, my mother’s sense of style, and my daddy’s charm and confidence, the most beautiful thing that I possessed was the very thing that could not be seen: my mind.

To me that truly is the essence of a beautiful woman, when you have an intangible asset that cannot be diminished by crow’s feet or a widening waistline. My beauty is measured in being able to see the world in all its variety, learn from it, and take my knowledge to make it a better place. That is what makes women beautiful, that is what makes me beautiful. That Is what matters most.”

SANAE FERREIRA

Scientist, Adventurer and Creator of Where the Blueboots Go

“Beauty is a reflection of the way that your individual attributes combine with how you interact with others.

AMANDA LIGHT

Creator of Prim and Propah / Mother of Two

“I have felt most beautiful since becoming a mother. There are times where I certainly don’t feel glamorous but beauty, man, I feel driven and passionate and loved. There’s a certain self awareness that I possess now that I never had before. There’s a certain amount of like, I don’t give a damn about pleasing others with my looks, only pleasing myself. I feel free to be me- a Mom and a lover of the things that feel authentic to who I am. Beauty.”

AMY FRIEL

Model and Maker

“Beauty is loving who you are, and being unapologetically you, not caring what anyone else thinks.  It’s radiant inner confidence that fills any space that you inhabit.  When I lived in New York, I noticed that women had a palpable confidence about them. It was indistinguishable from anywhere I have ever been. They wore much less makeup, but walked around like they owned the place.  Being around that energy was empowering, and after living there for a summer, my whole mentality on beauty and makeup changed.  I learned to love my natural beauty, and enhance my features instead of hiding them.  I have always been drawn to strong women and admire women who love themselves, and to me that is what beauty is. 

I feel most beautiful when I’m doing what I love and making others feel good about themselves.  There is something special about brightening someones day, and watching their inner confidence radiate through them.  Especially when a client lights up after trying on an outfit I styled.  Knowing that I put that smile on their face, is an indescribable joy.”

J.Q. LOUISE

Boston Food & Travel  Blogger at JQLouise

“My idea of beauty is lounging at the beach all day. When I am at the beach, between the warm sun, the refreshing water, and my salty hair, I just feel amazing. I think feeling beautiful has a lot to do with feeling happy. The beach is truly my happy place and I always feel beautiful there.”

Write your own definition. Wear you are now.

xx

Natalie