I watched a YouTube video that was shared on Facebook by Projects of Worth.
I learned about Projects of Worth when I was scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook and saw a video post called, "People react to being called beautiful," and is associated with #breathebeauty.
YouTuber Shea Glover, posted the video on her YouTube channel in May 2015; it was a project she completed in high school. Shea recorded students' reactions after telling each person that she's "taking a picture of something that's beautiful." She knew a few of the people she filmed, but the majority of the people were students she didn't know.
Some people were flattered. Some people seemed embarrassed. A few people became emotional and teared up. Some said nothing. A decent amount of people didn't know what to say and felt awkward, so they fidgeted and laughed as Glover filmed them.
One girl reacted much differently. She became aggressive and verbally threatened Shea, saying, "I'll cut you in the face," after being called beautiful. I think it's pretty sad that some people would have an angry and defensive response to being called beautiful, probably because they don't believe it themselves, that they are beautiful.
Although not everyone would react to being called beautiful in such a negative manner, I'm sure a decent amount of people would initially be a little uncomfortable after receiving a compliment they didn't expect. Unfortunately, it seems to be unusual for strangers to express sincere kindness to one another. People don't always know how to respond to kindness or are surprised to be given a compliment. The student's reactions to being called beautiful brought a more deeply rooted problem to my attention.But why do we experience negative or uncertain feelings when we receive a compliment? Why can't we just accept the compliment and be uplifted in the positive energy around us, powered by kind, honestly spoken words? In my opinion, a person with low self-esteem will feel more uncomfortable when receiving a compliment than a person with high self-esteem. If a person is insecure and lacks self-confidence, he or she might even deny the compliment by claiming it isn't true.
Low self-esteem can result in children and adults alike feeling uncomfortable and insecure in their own skin. It's a shame that people are not inspired to be confident by their natural beauty. Society's definition of beauty is skewed by the media and fashion industries constantly criticizing public figures, both men and women, on their clothing, weight, make-up, and overall appearance, instead of focusing on how people are positively impacting the world and how they're helping others. This causes others to shame their own body for looking or not looking a certain way according to the beauty standards set by society that the media projects. It causes people to forget that their physical appearance does not define them; they forget that what matters the most is who they are on the inside.
We can combat this insecurity and self-destruction that happens when we compare ourselves to each other and against the beauty standards that are shown in the media and magazines by being more kind to each other and ourselves. However, society's beauty standard isn't the only reason people feel badly about themselves. You never know what a person has experienced in their lifetime. You can never know for sure what lies behind someone's smile. Everyone can benefit from kindness.
Empathize with people. Lend a listening ear to someone who needs to talk. Compliment people and you might make their day. Smile at the passerby who looks like they're having a bad day. Love without discrimination. Volunteer at an animal shelter; pets need affection too. Be honest and sincere. Tip servers generously. Treat everyone with respect. Be considerate of others. Buy a homeless person a hot meal. Do things for others without expecting anything in return. Everyone would benefit if we all made the effort to be kinder and compassionate.
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." -Aesop
