Yesterday I announced that men are now welcome to join the Campaign For Confidence! Here's the video announcement.
Today I'm sharing the story on why!
Confidence IS a human issue. It's not just for women. I've always known this but to be honest I thought it was safer to stick with women for the Campaign for Confidence photos. To ask men to get naked and hold produce just felt... well --- too over the top even for me. And then something happened...
I posted my Kale Yeah! stickers to instagram and asked people to stick them out in the world for me. And the yes-es came in! In a week I sent all 200 stickers out and now I'm on the last of 300 more. It feels freaking awesome that people are willing to help spread the message. That is what all great campaigns are about isn't it!
Among the emails requesting Kale Yeah! stickers was a particularly special one. A woman wrote in saying that she and her family have a garden + that she would love to do a Campaign photo with her husband using the food they grew in the garden. A photo to help teach her sons about confidence. She is learning first hand that body issues + peer pressure deeply impact boys too. Her email, her story, her energy through her words just gave my full body chills and I thought why not men too? So replied with a YES, send me your photo and trusted that when the time is right, she will. (Side bar: I am a huge believer in timing, perfect-timing, Divine timing, Universal timing. Huge.).
So then fast forward several weeks and I'm at the renewal retreat in Austin in May. We're sitting in a circle on the last day and I'm sharing about the stickers and asking my new friends if they'd take them and place them out in the world. As I'm talking about the Campaign For Confidence photos Dave interrupts me.
Dave: "Lacy, may I say something here?" Me: "Sure fire away..." Dave: "I'm listening you and I'm angry."
He goes on to explain that as a husband, father and man who has been self conscious about his stomach he would join. And to not have that option, well, it made him angry. CHILLS! FULL BODY CHILLS AGAIN! The email from the mom of boys talked about the peer pressure to have a six-pack and rock hard abs. I was listening to Dave and inside I was thinking... OMG THIS IS REAL! This is really going to happen. Men need this too!
And so I left the retreat feeling renewed and bursting with happiness. I left feeling it bubbling up and over into every area of my life and I waited and trusted that when he was ready he would take + send his photo in. The day it arrived in my email I was laughing through tears. His photo is hilarious which I totally appreciate. Under that melon on his head there's a truly spectacular human being who deeply loves himself and that allows him to deeply love his wife + daughter. ___
Dave,
Good sir... I am so proud to know you. Thank you for speaking your truth that day in the circle. Thank you for being the guy, the brave, confident guy to provide confirmation and then photographic evidence that this a good thing and that confidence is absolutely a human birth right.
I love you. Thank you! Lacy
___
So how about you? Are you ready to join us? Grab your fave fruits + veggies, take a photo (be sure to stand against a light background) and send it in! Tell us your first name, age and what you love about your body. <3
