You Are More Than What’s on the Surface — Prove it With #WeAreMore

We’ve all become obsessed with how we look. In the selfie generation, we’ve sadly become way too quick to judge people based on what we see. That is, when we aren’t obsessing over our own photos. Especially considering Kylie Jenner and other IG models are all the rage right now. They’re beautiful and on their hustle, there’s no denying that. But their perfection is an unattainable one, making the rest of us feel inferior and insecure.

And unfortunately, the numbers don’t lie. People want to see pretty people.

These people have millions of followers and likes, and in our world, crafting that perfect image and obtaining those numbers equals validation. But that’s not real. Trying to keep up and amount to that on a daily basis is exhausting. Is that what we have to be? How we need to look to be heard and seen? I refuse to believe that.

We deserve better. We are more than a pretty picture and a flattering filter.

Sometimes it feels like we’re screaming to be heard in the messy social media jungle—not to be confused with reality—but perfect selfies and T&A far too often stifle our voices. When Selena Gomez made her epic speech at the 2016 AMAs, it revived a strength in me. In that moment, I knew I wasn’t alone.

We can strip ourselves with our clothes on. Revealing that is scary, but I dare you to.

Women, men, celebrities, even Instagram models, I dare you to take part of #WeAreMore and embrace your true self. In one word, who are you? What makes you beautiful? What’s something people may not realize about you from a single look?

I asked celebrities like Viola Davis, Ruby Rose, J.K. Simmons, and Kathy Griffin, as well as people on the street in a southern California town. They not only related and greatly appreciated the question, but took a decent amount of time coming up with the perfect response. This tells me we don’t focus on our souls nearly as much as we do on our appearance. But from the looks on their faces, I could see how rewarding it is when you do look inward. For once.

So show your worth and post your photo with a word defining who are you using #WeAreMore, tag @strippingdowncelebs, share, and be heard. Because that vulnerability and truth is a hell of a lot more powerful than a good filter.