Hey moms: How would you describe yourself? If you're anything like those interviewed in this clip via the Huffington Post, the odds are that you're too way hard on yourself. You spend your time beating yourself up and focusing on shortfalls, wishing you were more patient, more confident, more something...
Don't judge a man by his appearance. A U.S. veteran has undergone a makeover like no other. Jim Wolf, who has wrestled with alcoholism and homelessness, was transformed in a jaw-dropping time-lapse video inspired by Dove's “Evolution” ad campaign.
According to an article in Global News, Wolf was groomed by the non-profit org, Degage Ministries. The clothes don't make the man, but it's incredible how a little care on the outside can bolster the confidence and well being inside.
“We all have an image of ourselves,” said Degage's executive director Marge Palmerlee. “When he saw the difference, he just … felt very enlightened and uplifted. I could just tell the difference in Jim.”
The filmmaker behind the remarkable video, Rob Bliss, aimed to challenge preconceptions about the homeless. Since the video was shot in September, Wolf has been attending Alcoholic Anonymous and has plans to move into his own apartment.
This video reminds me of a totally unrelated documentary I recently saw about salon owners who offered free services once a month to women with cancer.
Wouldn't it be awesome if salons were to offer the same service every now and then to those living rough? I'm not so naive to think the issue of homelessness can be solved with fresh clothes and a neat haircut, but it's a start. And it helps.
If you thought you left the mean girls behind in the halls of high school, think again. According to an article in the Daily Mail, a Facebook group "dedicated to criticizing ugly babies" has been exposed, leading me to conclude that the means girls have not grown up, but simply grown older.
Though the private group was created as a marketplace for children's clothing, it evolved into something far less noble. The members, who consisted of women—many of whom mothers in their own right—snatched unsolicited photos of tots for the sole purpose of laughing and criticizing them.
This is what happened to a photo of Ellen Veach's two year old when she failed to properly protect her private images on Facebook.
"Good stuff," wrote one so-called mean girl. "Now, # 1 is this a he or a she...You absolutely can not fix ugly. This is a God given example of such."
"An ugly baby thread," commented another user. "I have died and gone to heaven...why can't you guys live near me so we can do this over cocktails?"
When one shocked mom (whose daughter had been photographed while in intensive care) called for the behaviour to stop, this is the response she got:
"THIS IS FACEBOOK, NOT THE SALEM WITCH HUNT....THIS IS A FREE COUNTRY AND I WAS LAUGHING BECAUSE IT WAS FUNNY....THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS, NEXT."
What is so staggering is that many of these women are mothers in their own right, hiding behind the cloak of free speech. Since when did free speech become a carte blanche to spread hate and cruelty? And who would stoop so slow as to bully babies?
Of course once the group was reported by Veach, the group was hastily removed from Facebook. But the damage had been done. Just goes to show, you absolutely cannot cure cruel... Another truly awful Facebook page we can't believe actually existed.
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