How It Works

I think more people should be giving out compliments, it feels good and it makes people happy, and it reminds everyone that beauty is not bound by age, size, shape, colour, race, religion, sexuality, gender or lifestyle. It is not a set of unrealistic ideals or standards that exclude 99% of the worlds population. Everyone is beautiful. We just need to open our eyes to it, acknowledge it, and appreciate it.



1. Tell A Stranger They Are Beautiful
Steal the image above (right click, copy), paste it into a word document and copy it so you have 6 to a page, then print them out and cut them into individual notes. Keep them in your purse, backpack, laptop case, pocket, wallet, whatever, so that you have them with you whereever you go. When you see someone who catches your eye, who makes you smile, who looks fabulous, who does something nice, who smiles at the bus driver, who says "Hi" to the janitor, who gives loose change to the homeless, someone who is beautiful in any way at all to you, let them know. Hand them a note. If you're not shy then by all means say it out loud as well, or for the shyer folks you could write on the back of the note the reason you find that person beautiful. Of course, the person doesn't HAVE to be a stranger, it could be a loved one, a colleague, or your favorite barista. There is no limit on how many people you can tell, in fact the more you tell the better! And if you don't have one of my beautiful notes, then find a scrap of paper and a pen and write your note on that (and the blog address if you can remember it!).

2. Tell Me You're Beautiful
If you received a note from a stranger telling you that you are beautiful, or if you were the stranger who passed the note, I'd like to hear about it. Drop me a line at beautifulstrangersblog@gmail.com and let me know what happened and how it felt. I will then post your comments here on the blog (either with your name or anonymously, as you wish), and if you want to send me a photo of yourself I will post that as well.

We are all beautiful, just the way we are. Let's celebrate, appreciate, and acknowledge that!!

What's it all about?

When a lover, partner, friend or family member tells us that we are beautiful, most people seem disinclined to believe it. We tell ourselves that they HAVE to say that. It's harder to disbelieve when a complete stranger, with no sense of obligation, or ulterior motive, tells us that we're beautiful. And from a stranger, it's one of the simplest, and most powerful compliments we can receive.

Every day, we see people who are beautiful. Normal people on the bus, at the corner store, passing us by in the street. Normal people who will never grace the cover of Vogue magazine, but who are beautiful nonetheless. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone is beautiful to someone else.

About a year ago, I was on the train on my way home from work, and three women joined my carriage, and sat opposite me. They were dressed up, and clearly on their way to an evening out. The lady in the middle was beautiful. Gorgeous even. She was curvacious, with a smooth perfect complexion, thick shiny hair, warm brown eyes, luscious full lips and a smile that lit up the dark evening. She was tall, and stylishly dressed. I glanced up from my book when they sat down and then found my eyes straying back up to peek at her again and again. I couldn't focus on the page in front of me at all. I couldn't help but overhear their conversation, and I was dismayed to hear her make self-denigrating comments. Seeing as I couldn't concentrate on my book anyway, I started rummaging in my handbag for a piece of paper, and eventually I tore out the blank back page of my novel. On it I wrote "I'm far too shy to say this directly, but I just wanted to let you know that I think you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen". I folded the note in half and shoved my book into my bag as the train slowed down into my station. As I got up to disembark, I held the note out to her, mumbling "this is for you" and then dashed through the doors. I worried that it might seem creepy, or just plain weird, and I have no idea how she reacted. But I thought to myself, "if a complete stranger, with no investment, handed me that note, I'd be flattered", and hoped that she felt the same.

Since then, I have handed out many hastily scribbled notes to beautiful people. The girl with the blue hair, the older lady with the bright red coat, the young guy who jumped up from his seat to help an elderly lady carry her shopping onto the crowded bus and stood for the next 20 minutes so that she could have a seat. I would love to be brave enough to tell people to their face, but I am a shy soul and prone to stammering and mumbling when talking to strangers, so mostly I don't know how people respond. There have been a couple of times though when the recipient of my note has been quick enough to smile at me, and thank me - with a sense of bemusement, sure, but they smiled. I felt wonderful for having made a stranger smile, even if only for a moment. I also like the idea of people having a note that they can choose to keep or throw away. If it touches them, they have a permanent reminder that someone with no obligation or ulterior motive thinks they're beautiful.

Lately I've been thinking that it would be wonderful if more people could take the time to tell someone they're beautiful. So I am starting this blog, with the hope that it will spread. Stay tuned for more details.

I think you're beautiful. Yes, you.