This. Is. A. Clap Back. A clap back at the App makers who came up with the photoable_app, Instagram and social media in general.

I am Gena. I am the founder and creator of Stunningly Strong “It’s more than makeup it’s a movement.”  A movement that says we will embrace who we are. ALL of who we are and we will tell our stories, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful and redemptive parts of our stories. We will not waver, we will not back down and we most certainly will not succumb to living a filtered life that is inauthentic and fake. The fires that we have walked through, are walking through or will walk through refine us like diamonds and make us strong. From the ashes the phoenix arises more beautiful and stronger than before.

I’m here to tell you that I do not need your filters. I’m drawing a line in the sand and saying that the filtered life you are offering me will not be accepted. I reject the need for perfectionism. I reject the need to be accepted by everyone. I reject the idea of a perfect body or a perfect life. I will never again feel inferior based on social media PERCEPTION.

I will not allow filters to become a part of who I am. I will not filter nor will I allow the fact that I have chronic depression define me. I will not filter out that when I was in highschool I punished my body by taking appetite suppressants and fat burners. My marriage is a fairy-tale. My husband is my prince charming, he’s my once upon a time and my happily ever after, but even in that fairy-tale there are chapters that I, by my hand, have written that are full of shattered hearts and damaged dreams. I want to tear those chapters out of our story, I want to filter them so they can no longer be seen, but I won’t because those parts have made us who we are today. Filters only lead to lies, deceptions, disappointments and false reality and I refuse to live like that. 

Today I am sending out a war cry to all the women and girls who are tired of living a filtered life. Let’s join forces, let’s rally together, lets stand arm and arm with each other. Let’s take off the masks. Let’s embrace who we are but better yet, let’s embrace who other women are.

Let’s not be ashamed anymore if we are working moms or stay at home moms.Let’s stop, for the love of all our daughters, punishing our bodies for what they are not and instead embrace them for what they are and what they can do. Let’s not judge each other if some wear make up to the pool and others have never put a stich of product on their face in their entire life. Let’s encourage each other to chase the dreams that are in our hearts. Our social justice casues will be different, our opinons will be different, our lives will be different. Different is what makes us stronger.

I know I am not the only one taking up my sword and readying myself for battle. I know that all across the world women are preparing themselves to slay the giant of social media perfection. You can block me. You can delete me. But, I am strong. We are strong. We are STUNNINGLY STRONG and you, social media have not heard the last from us.

Gena