Believe In Yourself Project – Empowerment For Girls

Females are expected to appear a certain way and live up to manufactured and unrealistic notions of what is considered “beautiful”. In an attempt to promote a positive body image, Sam Sisakhti, founder of online fashion site http://www.ustrendy.com, has created the “Believe in Yourself Project“. The “Believe in Yourself Project” (www.believeinyourself.org) is a foundation that will provide girls in need with dresses for upcoming dances and at the same time promote a positive body image through speakers and mentors. Read more on the Believe In Yourself Project – Empowerment For Girls.

Over the past few years, Sisakhti has grown increasingly concerned with the cyberbullying and body shaming that he has seen online. At the same time, he realized the enormous social pressure that many young girls feel to try to be hip and socially cool by wearing clothing that is seen as stylish. Strained finances can prevent many girls from keeping up with what’s trending, making them feel isolated among their friends for not being able to afford clothing that is deemed “in” socially.

Over the past year Believe in Yourself has provided formal dresses to underprivileged high school girls and college students across the country, for them to wear at their school dances. Believe In Yourself reports that many of the girls in the program have had the self-confidence to attend their first school dance!

The Believe In Yourself Project is part of a broader initiative and is currently in talks with various influential women who at one time or currently have struggled with body image, encouraging them to serve as speakers and mentors to the various girls within the program. “We hope to dispel the notion that you need to be a size 0 in order to be beautiful,” says UsTrendy Founder Sam Sisakhti.

This year, B.I.Y. will roll out their national mentoring programs which will be a weekly mentorship.  Meetings in various cities across the country along with online seminars available to all girls throughout the country. The mentorship programs and online seminars will be interactive with open table discussions where influential women will mentor and have discussions with the girls about positive body image and anti-cyberbullying.

Ultimately, the Believe in Yourself Project seeks to make females feel comfortable in their own skin and not let physical or financial insecurities or limitations affect their confidence.  For full information please visit:  www.believeinyourself.org