COLLEYVILLE, Texas– They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, would you go without makeup for an entire day? How about at school with all of your peers and crushes? This is exactly what a group of girls have decided to do at Colleyville Heritage High School.
This group began in 2009, with a senior named Katie Lewis. She was a mentor to a junior, who is now a senior leader of “Beautiful Girls.” Katie went to a website called “Operation Beautiful,” and got it going at her school. Now her small group chose not to wear makeup on Friday’s.
The girls call Katie their “big sister” and their inspiration. They’ve had a variety of feedback from fellow students. There is always something negative people have to say about every group, organization or idea. This group of girls displayed that they are mature beyond their ages. They have come to the realization that any negative feedback is just from uninformed students.
“Once girls get all the information, they actually want to join,” said Lauren, 17.
Who doesn’t want to feel confident? That is exactly the motivation behind this organization. Most girls would not want to go without wearing makeup alone, but if you have a huge support group doing the exact same thing, the more confident you become.
These girls are the leaders of tomorrow. Not only do they head up this group, several others are presidents of other clubs, some of the girls are involved in soccer, and some are pursuing their love for acting, with theater. Yet, this amazing group still finds the time to organize and run service projects for “Beautiful Girls.” This holiday season, you will find them running a food drive for their local food bank.
It was interesting to see what type of makeup some of these girls like to wear, and Blast did just that. Mascara, eye-liner and blush, were among the most common, but some actually like to “wear everything.”
This group will continue to be passed down, due to the great support of friends, and family members. There is one junior leader, who will be taking over next fall. The seniors will take this to the colleges of their choosing, and some planning on attending Boston College (Go Eagles!).
This group does so well because of the way it has of making a girl feel special. This group started with so few, and now Colleyville has 208 girls wearing the purple shirts proudly. Girls everywhere are becoming more confident, feeling relief about not having to hide behind their make-up anymore. Even the boys are beginning to pick up on this, and are signing up to start their own similar group, that supports what these girls are doing.
There is so much one person’s idea can do, and this group is changing the way girls wear and treat makeup. Now, makeup is not so much as a necessity, but more of an enhancement. Members get the chance to become more confident, while also getting the chance to help other girls and their community. Keep it up, Colleyville Heritage High School.
CORRECTION: Because of a reporting error, this article incorrectly stated that Katie Lewis started the website OperationBeautiful.com. The was started by Caitlyn Boyle, of Charlotte, N.C. Katie Lewis incorporated the site’s mission into her own school.
Hello!
You have some facts wrong in this article. Caitlin Boyle (me) created Operation Beautiful and the Colleyville girls said they visited the site and used it partly as inspiration to create the group. Thanks!
We’ve made this correction. Our apologies!