By guest blogger Emma Spencer, an 8th grade English teacher in Mountain View
At the Sunday Streets event in San Francisco’s Mission District, a bright colored table staffed by two teen girls caught my eye. Actually I think it might have been their t-shirts with pithy slogans that I noticed; these girls obviously had something to say on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. I climbed off my bike, propped it nearby and ventured closer. Their table sported information and promotional items from About-face*, an organization that fosters positive self-esteem among young women.
They invited me to weigh myself on their scale. “Oh, okay,” I said, and stepped on. When I looked down, I didn’t see numbers moving by – I saw words instead . . . “beautiful, perfect, awesome.” One of the teens handed me a bright yellow business card that read: “I weighed myself on a different scale! It said that I am AWESOME!” Funny as it sounds, after stepping of the scale, I really felt better and encouraged just to be me.
Before leaving, I picked up an orange bumper sticker that will look perfect next to my desk at school: “Your mind never goes out of fashion.” Thank you, About-face, for a few moments of sweetness and truth in your booth.
Read more from About-face: 10 Ways to Empower Yourself!
*About-face is a grantee partner of the Women’s Foundation of California
