I AM BEAUTIFUL

Upon returning from the Miss Florida Orientation, I was encouraged to promote my platform message even more! Having a platform truly distinguishes a Miss America Organization titleholder from other titleholders in various systems because we commit 100% of our time and energy to a very personal cause. As you all know my platform is C.R.O.W.N: Confident Radiant Outstanding Women Now. Please read the following excerpt from my essay explaining more about it...

 Mentoring young women on how to improve their self-esteem and body image so that they may be proud of who they are.

Women, especially young girls are struggling to discover who they are, realize their self-worth, and strengthen their self-esteem because of society’s unrealistic standards and the media’s misleading exemplar of true beauty.  I have personally been challenged in finding who I am and the meaning behind words such as:  body image, confidence, and self-respect.  My experience in searching for these meanings has not been an easy one.  For that reason, I felt led to educate myself on these issues and take the initiative to inspire young girls and women who are struggling in these areas.  C.R.O.W.N is my campaign for young girls and women of my age to embrace who they are, love who they are, and celebrate who they are.  Why?  Because we were all created to be special and beautiful in our own way.

Confidence comes through in the way we walk, the words we speak, and the things we believe.  Most importantly, confidence drives us to discover and affirm what makes us unique and fabulous!  Radiance is when our best qualities, our values, and our true character shine through our smile.  Outstanding young women believe they have the power to accomplish their goals and dreams and will not let anyone or anything stand in their way.  As young women, we need to empower and encourage each other as opposed to competing with each other.  Lastly, now is the time to love ourselves for who we truly are, cherish our quirks and flaws that make us unique, and share these messages of positivity with young girls and women around us.  I strongly feel that mainstream media, magazines, and television offer contradictory messages to young girls. These include a certain standard of beauty, perfection norms/rules, and the overall culture of health and body image.  As a result, young girls feel obligated to fulfill these pressures and expectations.  For that reason, the core of C.R.O.W.N, these messages of truth, must be communicated and exemplified to young girls in our communities.

I have gladly shared my platform to over 175 young girls and boys in the past few months. But I am ready to use social media as a tool to reach a greater audience. For that reason, I am starting the "I Am Beautiful" Project. It is very easy! Take a tube of lipstick, any color and write a positive,encouraging affirming message on your bathroom and/or bedroom mirror!

Here are some examples:

• I Am Beautiful

• I Am Loved

• Be You!

• Beauty Starts On The Inside

• I Believe In Myself

• Be Happy

And the list can go on and on! Be creative! The next step is to share it with the world! Post it on your Facebook wall, post it on my Facebook wall (or tag me), Instagram it and tag me (xonicolevega), or Tweet it and tag me (nicolevega36) with the hashtag #IAMBEAUTIFUL! Whatever you decide...let's start a movement of girls who love themselves and are proud of who they are!

Check-out my mirror at home...

Love, 

Nicole Vega

Miss South Florida Fair 2013

"I am beautiful because....Whether my hair is up or down, whether my make-up is on or off, I follow my heart and love myself for who I am inside. Not for what those around me think I should be or look like. "