Posters proclaiming “you are rad” and “you are flawless” lined the locker hallways. Several bathroom mirrors were covered with construction paper on “Totally awesome Tuesday,” making it impossible for students and staff to see their reflection. Therefore, they were unable to pick out every “ugly” thing about themselves. Other bathroom mirrors were marked with phrases such as “you look amazing” and “you are beautiful,” words much different than those which frequently enter the minds of people staring at their reflection.

Starting March 9 and ending March 12, REbeL Club hosted Be You Week, a week dedicated to reminding students and faculty of their personal beauty

According to club member senior Lexi Churchill, the timing of Be You Week was no coincidence. Churchill says it was the perfect time because the week before spring break is typically full of pre-spring break dieting and what REbeL calls “fat talk.”

“We purposefully plan the week to take place sometime before spring break in hopes of impacting the unrealistic body image hysteria that overtakes the school during the weeks leading up to spring break,” Churchill said.

To end the week of confidence building and positive thinking, the club organized an assembly on March 12 with multiple activities to acknowledge the natural beauty in everyone and to encourage healthy self-confidence. Ph.D students Abby Ness and Lauren Pollack along with club members seniors Emily Baranowski, Sydney Daniels and Hannah Panjada and junior Abby Hamilton gave a presentation including ways to maintain a healthy self-esteem.

One tip included avoiding “should statements”, which means trying not to dwell on what one “should” look like or what one “should” be doing better. According to Ness and Pollack, such negative thoughts lead to low self-esteem. Both of them said it is important to focus on the positives rather than the negatives. Avoiding “fat talk” is another tip to help people focus on those positive aspects of themselves.

“The goal of Be You Week is to rebel against changing who you are for any reason because you feel that you aren’t good enough,” Panjada said. “Instead, you’re encouraged to embrace yourself in all your glory and be you.”

After the presentation, two students from each grade along with Spanish teacher Alicia Gomez and geometry teacher Kristin Hilgenfeld participated in a “blind makeup” activity. One person in each pair put a blindfold on and applied makeup to the other person’s face. The result was four lipstick-covered faces and the message that makeup is not the only way to define beauty.

Following the presentation and activity, students were handed “compliment cuties” as they exited the gymnasium. On each small clementine a small note read individual compliments, reassuring everyone of their personal and natural beauty.

Although the duration of Be You Week was only officially four days, Baranowski, club president, hopes to continue encouraging everyone to realize that they are good enough and hopefully when people look at their reflection in the bathroom mirror, they will start to realize that everything they see is special, unique and all around beautiful.

“Assemblies like ours bring these everyday problems to the light and we hope [they] give girls a positive outlook that lasts,” Churchill said.